Only Time Will Tell (The Way Home)
by imakemyownblog
Summary: What's a girl from the 21st century supposed to do when a strange notebook zaps her from her home in sunny Australia to a freezing cold fort in the North Atlantic? Avoiding the angry guards is one thing, but getting caught up in the life of a man gone rogue is another. Will she ever return home? What secrets lie within this book? An AC: Rogue based fic. Shay/OC. Ratings may change.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey hey, imakemyownblog here with my first ever AC fanfic—** _ **lucky Shay *cue the damn catchphrase* :')**_

 **I am in no way a professional writer of any sort. I'm simply doing this for fun, so please bear with me through the various grammar mistakes that are bound to show up. I may or may not make a few changes to the Rogue storyline, but nothing too major, so no worries. Also, this story** _ **will**_ **have romance between Shay & an OC, so if you're not into that, do yourself a favour and click that back button. Lastly, my updates don't have a super frequent schedule, but I'll see how I go. :)**

 **Reviews are** **super, super appreciated! It helps me know what you guys are thinking, what you guys would like to see, etc. I'm always willing to take in suggestions! Either way, my tumblr and AO3 accounts share the same username as this one, so if you ever want to talk to me about the story (or about Shay in general lol), then please drop by! :D**

 _ **Keep in mind that this story will be very slow-paced because who**_ **doesn't** _**like realistic romance build up? XD**_

 **Only Time Will Tell - Chapter One**

 _December 8th, 2016 | Western Australia_

"Mum? Dad? I'm home!"

A young teenage girl ambled into the house, the front door quietly clicking shut behind her. She wiped the sweat off her brow with a grateful sigh, feeling much better now that she was out of the unrelenting heat of the summer. She was tempted to head straight upstairs for a cool shower, but she wanted to greet her parents first. Glancing around, she gently removed the school bag from her shoulders and dropped it by the staircase, making a mental note to grab it before heading to her room later. Her mum hated it when there was clutter near the stairs.

"Tia!" She jumped in surprise, snapping her head around to find her dad poking his head out of the kitchen. The rest of his body soon followed as he rounded the corner and approached her, a warm smile tugging at his lips.

She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "Hey, Dad!"

Standing at nearly six foot one, her dad was by no means a small man, his chin easily coming to rest atop her head as he returned the affectionate gesture. He was doing quite well for a man of his age; nearing forty with light wrinkles caressing his face and only the slightest of gray hairs shining through the thick tuft of dark brown hair on his head. He still manages to maintain a fairly healthy body, despite all the hours he puts into work. He barely has enough time to do anything anymore - including coming home before dinner, so this was a pleasant surprise.

"How's my beautiful _muchachita_ today?" He asked, dropping his arms.

"Eh, school was uneventful as usual," Tia replied, moving back to gaze up at him. "Where's Mum at?"

He jabbed thumb over his shoulder. "She's in the kitchen. Come on."

She followed after him as he walked back into the kitchen and perched himself on one of the stools. Taking a seat beside him, they both watched in silence as the woman bustled about in the kitchen, pulling out various pots, pans and ingredients for tonight's dinner.

As opposed to her husband, Tia's mum was a relatively short woman, only coming to stand at around five foot three—shorter than Tia herself. Much like her husband, she was also doing quite well for her age; she still looked as youthful and vibrant as any young woman out there, her voluminous dark blond hair being the envy of many. She was so focused on getting ready to cook that she almost missed the surprise audience sitting on the stools, waiting for her to notice them.

"Oh, Tia, honey! Good, you're home." She beamed, making her way to the island in the centre of the kitchen to wash her hands in the sink. "I was about to ask your father to help me with dinner, but seeing as you're home now, you can take his place. We're making spicy burritos tonight—your _favourite_."

"Yes!" Tia beamed, pumping her fist in the air. Her mum's spicy burritos were the best.

Her dad immediately protested, gaping at his wife in disbelief. "Hey, why does _she_ get to help and _I_ don't?"

She glanced at her husband with a teasing smile, "I'm pretty sure I've told you how bad you are at cooking…" She trailed off, not needing to explain any further, as her husband scoffed at the words.

"And what about Tia?" He asked. "She's not that great at it either!"

"Yeah, but _I_ joined a cooking class last year to remedy that. Either way," the teen covered a cheeky smile with her hand and murmured under her breath. "I'm still better at it than you are."

Her quiet giggles turned into full-blown laughter as her dad feigned a look of hurt and wandered off to the living room, most likely to watch the live football game that was on this evening. Her mum shook her head, an amused smile tugging at her lips.

"Be right back, Mum. Just gonna wash up first." Tia said, receiving an 'alright honey' in response.

She left the kitchen and grabbed her schoolbag, before rushing upstairs to her bedroom. The bag was haphazardly flung to the side as she entered and plopped herself onto her bed to remove her shoes. Just as the second shoe came off, her phone made a quiet 'ding' noise, notifying her of an incoming text message. She pulled it out of her pocket and unlocked it to see a text from her best friend, Mark.

' _Hey Tia, just wanted to know if you could come in and cover my shift at the cafe tonight. Family emergency.'_

Frowning at the news, she typed back a reply: ' _Hey, sure thing. What time do you need me in?'_

As she waited for a text back, she lazily began to remove the rest of her school uniform from her body, so she could jump into the shower once she got an answer. The reply from her best friend came not even a minute later, surprising her as she tucked a fluffy beige towel around herself. Looks like it really _was_ an emergency, considering he still had his phone in his hands. He never answers this fast.

' _5 to 9 sound alright? I've called the boss, so she knows. Oh, also, I was supposed to close up tonight but I'll just leave the keys in my locker for you and grab them first thing in the morning. I'll even give ya a lift to school as thanks. ;)'_

Tia glanced at the clock on her bedside table. It read four twenty-six pm, meaning she had less than thirty minutes to be showered and out the door in order to reach the bus stop in time. She cussed under her breath.

' _Yeah, I can do that. Hope you and your family are okay, whatever the situation is. See you tomorrow, Mark. :)'_

With that now sorted, she tied back her long, silvery-lilac hair into a loose bun, making sure to pin back her side fringe to keep it from getting wet. After her cool shower, she quickly got dressed into her work uniform. It consisted of a white button up shirt with the cafe's logo printed on the pocket, black pants and black canvas shoes - pretty basic stuff. She hopped over to the dresser as she slipped her shoes on, and picked out her name tag, her purse and her headphones from the drawer, before sliding it closed and reaching for her work bag on the other side of the bed.

 _Crap_ , she thought with a huff, _no time for any makeup._ She slipped her phone into her pocket and jogged downstairs to tell her mum about the new change of plans. "He said it was a family emergency." She told her, chewing on her bottom lip.

Her mum nodded in understanding. "I guess your father will have to help me out after all, then." She reached over and planted a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "Message me when you finish and we'll come get you. There's no way we're letting you catch the bus home so late."

"I will, Mum. Love you." She made her way into the living room to bid her dad a quick goodbye, only to find him stretched out over the couch like an over-sized feline. She held back a laugh. "See ya, Dad."

The man jolted in surprise, obviously a little _too_ focused on the game to notice her standing there. He glanced up to see her watching him from behind the couch, an amused look spread across her face, before gazing back to the little figures running around on the TV screen. "Huh? Alright, my little girl, have a good day at school."

Tia rolled her eyes. "I'm going to _work_ , but thanks anyway, Dad. Love you."

Stepping out of the house, she speedily made her way down the driveway. Thankfully, the bus stop was only a few blocks down from here, so she could get out of the heat a lot quicker. When the bus finally arrived, she paid for her fare and took a seat closest to the driver. It wasn't too long of a trip to her workplace—it probably takes around fifteen to twenty minutes at the most, depending on the traffic. Luckily, it wasn't too bad at the moment.

Leanne, a waitress around her age, greeted her with a confused look as she walked through the doors of the spacious, modern-style cafe. "Tia? I thought you weren't coming in today..."

She shrugged her shoulders, offering the girl a small smile. "I _wasn't_ until Mark asked me to cover for him. Emergency."

The blond waitress quirked a perfectly plucked brow. "Oh, really?" She frowned and returned to wiping down the tables. "I hope he's alright…"

Tia continued on to the back room and shoved her bag in her locker, before taking an apron off the hook beside the door. Tying it around her waist so that it sat snugly, she exited the staff room and went over to her station. Tonight, she would be taking on Mark's job as a barista. Not that she was complaining. She actually kind of preferred it over her own job as a waitress; taking orders from customers and cleaning up after them wasn't always the most delightful thing to do.

Several of her other co-workers greeted her with the same confusion as Leanne, and they immediately began to ask her where Mark was and what she was doing in his station. Once that was all settled and everyone was caught up with the story, she finally settled in and began to make cool beverages for the eager customers. Time rolled by slowly, a multitude of drinks being made by Tia's hand. It was almost closing time now and most of her co-workers had already ended their shifts in that time, leaving her to serve the last few customers that ventured into the cafe. She leaned over the counter and checked the wrought iron clock on the wall.

 _Only five minutes to go. Better do the last round of check-ups to make sure everything is good and ready to go for tomorrow._

She made her way out from behind the counter and glanced around, checking to see if anything needed attention before she packed up and called it a night. Everything seemed to be in check, save for a table at the far end of the cafe. There was something on it still. She walked over to it, tilting her head in curiosity once she was able to make out the small object sitting on the dark, wooden surface of the table. It turned out to be a notebook a little bigger than the size of her hand, it's cover an interesting matte black colour that was smooth to the touch when she picked it up.

"Wonder whose this is," she muttered quietly to herself. _I should probably put this in the back and leave a note on it. Someone probably left it behind._

Turning around to leave, she froze when a rush of air forced her to loosen her grasp on the book. It landed on the floor with a quiet thud. Spooked, she glanced around the cafe with worried eyes. _I hope the camera caught that..._ Her attention fell back to the book, and she noticed that it landed with the cover open. Gingerly, she picked it up and was about to snap it shut again, when something peculiar caught her eye.

 _Her name was written in golden cursive on the very first page._

* * *

 **A/N: So, how'd I go? It's a bit short, but this is only an introduction the to the story. No mention of our beautiful Irish puppy yet, but he will appear soon enough! I simply wanted to give you an idea of Tia's character and her daily life before it all spirals downhill. :') Oh yeah, did I mention this story is going to be very long? I'm thinking like 250-300k+ words, maybe? XD**

 _ **Muchachita - "little girl" in Spanish**_

 _ **Tia's name - "aunt" in Spanish. I know, tis a little strange that I'd be calling her that. I originally named her after my cousin, but also because I liked the name in general, so yeah… Silly author liked the name and forgot to do a background check in the Spanish language, so now my stupidity will be implemented into the story. Oops XD It suits her though, so I won't change it.**_

 **Anyways, hope you guys liked it! imakemyownblog out! xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here we are with chapter two! Fun fact: the original version of this was only about 4k words long, but now it's 6k+ words long after some retouching. Ah, the magic of editing and revising. :') I just couldn't stand how bad my writing was at the start, so I recently decided to edit/update the rest of the chapters too. Can't say how quickly they'll be done though. XD Now, on to the story! ;)**

 **Only Time Will Tell - Chapter Two**

Tia snapped the book shut in mild shock. Where the hell did this come from and why did it have her name written in it? She sure as hell would remember a book like this one if she was the one to buy it, but that's just it—she _didn't_ buy it. In fact, she's never seen this thing before in her life.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before slowly lifting the hardcover of the book with her finger. Surely enough, when she finally gathered the courage to take a quick peek inside, there it was— _Tia Ramirez_ —written in the very top corner of the page in a dazzling gold cursive. Upon closer inspection, she realized there was something else she hadn't noticed before. A date.

Her face scrunched up in confusion. _December twenty-eighth, seventeen fifty-one? Is this some kind of prank? What kind of irrelevant date is that?_

She stood there for a few moments, trying to figure out why anyone would do this. Perhaps it was one of her co-workers? They knew she was going to be the one closing up for the night, so it was the perfect opportunity for someone to try and mess with her. Perhaps she unknowingly did something to upset someone and they thought it would be a good idea to try scare her while she was alone?

Tia shook her head. _No, that's not it. No one knew I was going to be here until I showed up. The only one who knew was—_

"Mark Jay Whitten, you little shit."

It was no secret that her best friend _loved_ his practical jokes. Even she has fallen victim to them more than enough times throughout their two years of friendship. Whipped cream to the face, chair moving out from under her, shifting all the furniture in her room two inches so that she would bump into everything—been there, done that. At least he had the decency to make sure they wouldn't harm her _too_ badly, as stated by the prankster himself.

 _Of course_ _it was him,_ she thought with growing irritation. She rolled her eyes and made her way to the staff room, retrieving her bag from her locker and the key to the cafe from Mark's. The little black book was carelessly shoved into the depths of her bag, along with the decision to hurl it at her best friend's face when she saw him tomorrow.

Flicking the lights off to the back room, she used her phone to navigate her way through the darkness. Her parents had already left a message to let her know they were waiting for her in the car. Once she was outside, she locked the door with the key and carefully tucked it away into her pocket. She tugged on the handle a few times to make sure it was secure before turning around to search for the car.

A shiver left her body as she stood there in the darkness, one lone light at the back of the building creating a rather eerie atmosphere as it casted large shadows across the ground and walls. Had it gotten colder somehow? She pulled her shirt tighter around her body and continued to search for her parents car.

A loud honk of a horn made her jump in alarm, a little squeak escaping her mouth as she snapped her head to the source of the sound. A white 2016 Ford Mustang coupe slowly rolled up beside her, the driver sticking his hand out the window with a wave.

"Did I get ya?" Her dad asked with a laugh, earning himself a smack on the head from his wife.

"What gave it away?" She deadpanned, trying to calm her racing heart as she rounded the car so she could climb in through her mum's side. She clicked her seatbelt in with a sigh. Now she understood why Mark never wanted to do anything after work. Tonight had been busier than usual.

"I told the _idiota_ not to do it." Her mum said, throwing an accusing glare towards her husband.

Her dad cowered slightly under the accusation, but still managed to reply confidently. "Hey! I'm no idiot, thank you very much. I was just trying to have some fun." He said, chuckling under his breath.

"You lost that privilege when you turned forty, David."

"Oh, so just because I've reached a certain age, it suddenly means I can't have fun?"

"That's not what I meant."

"It was _exactly_ what you meant, Maria."

Tia laughed as she watched her parents bicker back and forth like children, her little scare from before all forgotten about. "Dad," she called, getting his attention through the rearview mirror. "You sound exactly like Mark whenever he does something stupid."

"Is this some kind of 'pick on dad day' that I don't know about?" He asked, receiving an unamused look from his wife. "What? I'm serious! One is never too old to have fun."

Tia leaned forward and placed her hands on her mum's chair before they could start bickering again. "Can I pretty please connect my phone to bluetooth?"

"Why?" Her dad snorted, "So you can play your 'doov doov' music?"

Her dad was ignored as her mum began to fiddle with the car's audio controls. "Sure you can, honey."

One of the things she loved about her mum was that she had the same music taste as she did—anything with a good beat, no matter the language—whereas her dad's tastes were a bit more specific, leaning more towards jazz and blues music in the languages he knew.

Tia opened up the music app on her phone and scrolled down until she found the song she wanted. ' _Blood, Sweat & Tears' _by _BTS_ began to play through the speakers.

Her mum gasped and turned it up with a cheerful grin, "Is this BTOB?"

Tia snorted, "Close enough, mum… It's BTS."

Music continued to play from the teen's phone for the rest of the drive home, much to her dad's chagrin. Not twenty minutes later, the car was parked up in the garage and all three of them hopped out.

"Yes! I'm finally free." Her dad said, dramatically clenching a fist to his chest as he locked the car.

Her parents began to bicker again as she sidled into the house with a tired sigh. She showered and changed into a fresh pair of pyjamas, before heading downstairs to reheat some leftovers in the kitchen. As she waited for the food to cook, she took a seat on one of the stools, pulling her legs up so she could sit cross-legged.

The book slowly invaded her thoughts again as she sat there quietly humming to herself. What was it about that peculiar little book that made her feel nervous? Something wasn't right about it. She could feel it when it first came into contact with the soft skin of her hands—a tingly feeling that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight—but she didn't really take the time to consider it.

Pinning the blame on her best friend was the only thing she could do right now, even if it was only to ease her mind for the rest of the night.

* * *

 _December 9th, 2016_

The next day, Tia awoke to the loud sound of her phone alarm ringing in her ears. She switched it off before kicking the large duvet away from her body with a huff, a quiet sound of disappointment leaving her mouth at the loss of warmth. As much as she wanted to curl into a ball and sleep the day away, she knew she had to get up lest she wanted to be late for school. She couldn't afford a strike like that on her record. Her parents were already disappointed with her History marks as it was.

With that thought in mind, she rolled off the bed and walked into the bathroom to start her morning routine for school. Sparing her reflection a quick glance, she reached down under the sink to get her face wash.

 _Dude, is that a pimple?_ She thought, observing the reddened bump on her forehead in the mirror. _Damn it._

She groaned and proceeded to wash her face. After that was done, she put on a light layer of makeup—making sure to cover her new friend, of course—then quickly brushed out her long hair so she could pass it through the curling iron and tie it into a neat ponytail. She needed to re-dye it soon since the dark brown roots were beginning to peek through the top of her scalp, and that was _not_ an attractive look for her.

Her phone buzzed on the bedside table just as she returned to her room. It was a message from Mark.

 _Hey chica, I'm out the front. :)_

She grabbed her schoolbag and went downstairs to find her dad moving about in the kitchen. Her mum must still be asleep. She was about to type a reply to her friend when a loud knocking echoed from down the hall. Mark obviously thought it too hard a task to sit there and wait, and instead opted to get out of the car to come get her.

She swung the door open with a light-hearted glare. "Not that I don't love you and all, but why are you here so early?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had a schedule for me." Mark's cerulean eyes lit up in amusement. "Hello to you too, by the way."

Now, Mark certainly wasn't an unattractive guy and he certainly knew it, his usual charming grin slipping onto his face at the sight of his slightly irritated best friend. His deep blue eyes contrasted nicely with his lightly tanned skin. His black hair was kept at a short length, but long enough that he could spike it up at the front when he wanted to—like today, for example. He was rather tall too, though not as tall as her dad's towering height.

It was a shame he'd graduated from school already. It would've been pretty amusing to see how all the girls (and guys, no doubt) reacted to him. Mark always tells her that he's changed a lot since high school and that he was never that popular, but she begged to differ. She had no proof though. Whenever she asked for one of his high school photos, she would only get a blunt "not happening" in response. Oh well.

She blinked and stepped aside so he could wander in. He greeted her dad with a smile and asked him how he was this fine morning. Even though Mark was quite immature around her, he always made sure to be polite and gentlemanly around her parents. Her dad didn't like him at first, but Mark took it like a champ, and eventually softened him up. Now, the two of them got along quite well, even going as far as watching the soccer games together every now and then.

Her mum, however, was charmed by Mark straight away. Who knew the guy could bake? He made a mean red velvet cake for her mum's birthday last year. Figures. The guy was like a pass the parcel game—the more layers you peeled off, the more surprises there were.

"Would you kids like some toast?" Her dad asked, pointing to the toaster.

Tia fought the urge to smile and took a seat at the dining table. "Trying to make up for last night's attempt at cooking?"

Mark sat down beside her with a breathy chuckle, accepting the offer of free food, even if it was just toast. "Please and thank you."

A few minutes later and a plateful of buttered toast was being placed in front of the two, along with a few grumblings under the breath from her dad. He obviously didn't appreciate being patronized so early in the morning. The three of them sat there chewing away on their light breakfast, when Mark decided to strike up a conversation about their car with her dad. The man immediately perked up and, just like that, Tia sat there bored out of her mind as she listened to the two go on about "engines" and "racing".

To her relief, Mark ended the conversation early. "Thanks Mr. Ramirez, but I gotta be getting to work soon."

Her dad smiled up at him and waved his hand, "It's alright. You be careful on the road, alright? I heard there was a crash just this morning."

Mark nodded, "Don't worry, I heard about it too and I'll be avoiding it like the plague." He looked at Tia, "You ready to go?"

"Yup," she said, rounding the table to give her dad a peck on the cheek, "I'll see you later, dad."

She followed her friend out to the car, a cherry red Kingswood that Mark called "his baby", and slid into the passenger seat. She waited until his seatbelt was clicked in before she began pouncing question after question on him about why he couldn't go into work yesterday, and why he was trying to scare her with some stupid book prank.

He gave her a confused glance as he reversed down the driveway and started down the road for Tia's school, "What are you even talking about? What book?"

"Don't play innocent with me, Whitten. It couldn't have been anyone else…"

"I seriously have no idea what you're talking about, Tia." He shook his head with a laugh while keeping his eyes focused on the road, "I can't believe you think so lowly of my ingenious pranks that you think I'd resort to some lame book scare."

"Oh…" She said, trying her best to ignore the creepy tingling sensation in the back of her mind, "Never mind then."

Mark was more than happy to move on from the subject and quickly brought up his reasoning for skipping work last night. Apparently, his little sister decided it would be a smart idea to try and swim without her floaties on, almost resulting in her death. He had been working on his car out the back when it happened and managed to find her just in time to save her.

"She frustrates the hell outta me sometimes—she takes after you, I swear." Mark stressed as he parked the car in the school's parking lot.

"It's not my fault she likes me more than you," Tia joked, laughing at the deadpan expression she received in turn. "Anyways, tell her I said hello and that I'll come visit her as soon as I have free time. Thanks for the ride."

"Anytime, Tia." Mark nodded, reaching over for a quick hug before she slid out of the car. "Don't suck up to the teachers too much today, yeah?"

She rolled her eyes and hiked her bag over her shoulders, "Get wrecked, Mark."

"Yes ma'am! Getting wrecked, ma'am!" He drove off with a dramatic salute that made her giggle as she watched his car disappear around the corner.

* * *

Classes rolled by slowly that day, distracting thoughts of a certain black book popping into her mind every few minutes before it was hastily shoved into the back of her mind. She wanted to _try_ and concentrate, at least.

She was finally in her class of the day when the teacher asked them to get out something to write on. Mumbles and groans circled around the room as the teacher began to set up the projector. Tia reached into her bag and pulled out the first book she touched, thinking it was the one she usually took notes in. Instead, what she pulled out was the very object she was trying so hard to dismiss.

Mildly alarmed, she glanced around the classroom to see if anyone had noticed her discomfort. Thankfully, nobody seemed to be looking as they all continued talking to each other, preparing themselves for the boring lesson ahead of them. _Good._ She placed the book down on the desk and went back to searching for her proper notebook. After rummaging around in her bag for a few moments, she came to the conclusion that it was no longer there.

Perhaps her mum took her notebook out and put the other one in her bag? That was a possibility. She knew her mum would occasionally rip a few blank pages from her notebook whenever there was no spare paper lying around the house—and because she was normally too busy to head down to the shops, it was quite a common occurrence. She sighed and took a pen out of her pencil case. The creepy book would have to do for now.

The next few minutes of pen-fiddling went by as the teacher emphasized how it was imperative that they take as many key notes as they possibly could this lesson, since a lot of this was to be included in their test on Wednesday. More grumbles echoed throughout the room before the lights went off and the slides started appearing on the board.

Just as she began to write, she lifted her pen back up in confusion. No ink was coming out of it. She touched her pen to the paper and tried to scribble small circles along the top—nothing. _What the hell? I got this pen like two weeks ago._

She frowned and pulled another pen out of her pencil case. The same thing happened. Not a single trace of ink—or even any markings—was left on the page. Annoyed, she slammed the pen down and lifted the book, scrutinizing the page with a critical eye.

"Miss Ramirez."

Her eyes snapped up to find her teacher standing in front of her desk, his arms crossed in front of him. She gulped, "Uh, y-yes, Mr Aswald?"

"Are you quite done messing around with your belongings? You have notes to take." He responded in a stern voice while glancing at the empty pages of her book, clearly disappointed at the lack of content. Not only that, but her pen wasn't even in her hands either.

"But I'm not messing around—!" She bit her tongue to keep herself from saying anymore.

The man was already raising a brow at her and she knew that if she were to continue with her rant, it wouldn't be long before she would be sent to the office. She silently cursed herself for choosing to sit in the middle of the class. Her classmates were already starting to take notice of her predicament, discreetly pointing fingers in her direction and whispering to each other.

"Um," she squirmed in her seat, "would you have a pen I could borrow? My one isn't working…"

He nodded and handed her the one from his blazer pocket. "Now get to it, Miss Ramirez. You've already missed a lot."

The classroom fell silent once again as everyone returned to their note-taking. She almost threw the pen down in frustration when it _still_ refused to work. She was about ready to give up and simply pretend she was writing notes, when her vision began to tilt sideways in a hazy motion. She briefly registered a hand rubbing her shoulder and a startled voice asking her if she was okay before her vision turned black.

* * *

Tia awoke to the sound of her mum talking on the phone. She didn't seem to notice that her daughter had awoken and was now sitting up in her bed, rubbing at her head in confusion. She watched as her mum continued to pace around in the hallway just in front of her bedroom door, looking worried.

"She just fainted in the middle of her history class. The poor teacher had to carry her to the nurse." She ran a hand through her hair as the person on the other end of the line began to talk. "Yes, the nurse claimed everything seemed to be fine and that maybe she was just overworked."

 _Hold up! Mr_ _Aswald had to carry me to the nurse?_ She wanted to slide a hand down her face in frustration. That would surely be the talk of the school soon enough and then she would have to deal with all the stupid questions and rumours.

Her mum paused. She could see the growing frustration on her mum's face, the wrinkles on her forehead becoming more apparent as she frowned at the reply from the other end. "I know, _I know_! But, surely it's too early for—" Her mum froze mid-turn when she caught a glimpse of the suddenly conscious Tia. Her lips formed a thin line as she stepped into the room, "Look, I'll call you back, okay? I love you."

"Was that Dad?" Tia asked when her mum sat beside her on the bed.

"It was." She answered, her frown deepening. "He was stressing when he got a call at work saying that you were in the sickbay and needed picking up. He had to call me to come get you."

Tia looked down at her fingers, "Oh…"

Her mum reached across to brush her fringe out of her eyes and placed a gentle hand on her cheek. "How do you feel? Any dizziness?"

"Just a small headache, that's all." Tia replied, shaking her head with furrowed brows. "It was the strangest thing, mum. I felt fine before it happened, I swear..."

Her mum grimaced slightly and looked down to the floor. "That's unusual…" Tia frowned, not missing the look. _What was that supposed to mean?_ The woman abruptly stood up and started out of her room, "I better get started on dinner then. You hungry, muchachita?" She called, her footsteps echoing down the stairs.

"Okay then?" She muttered under her breath, confusion clouding her features.

She slid off the bed and walked to her wardrobe, deciding to change out of her school uniform and into something more comfortable. Deciding on a pair of black leggings and an over-sized gray t-shirt, she put them on and was about to follow her mum down to the kitchen when her schoolbag caught her eye. She couldn't explain why, but she felt compelled to take a look through it.

 _That stupid book._

She yanked it out of her bag and flipped the cover open, fully expecting to see a blank page, but instead, she almost choked on her breath when she found something neatly printed beneath her name and the date.

 _Aboard the Gerfaut and your path will be right. Aboard another and your path will be slight._

She laughed in disbelief, reading over the lines a few times to make sure she was actually seeing them correctly and that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. "What kind of _Dr. Seuss_ shit is this?" She questioned nobody in particular.

She shut the book and tossed it onto the bed. She didn't— _couldn't_ —write anything in it before, so how were those words there now? Did someone take it when she passed out? She immediately crossed that thought out. That couldn't be it. Who would put the effort into writing something so strange in her book anyway? Surely there was _some kind_ of explanation for this.

Deciding to leave it until later, she made her way downstairs into the living room to watch some TV whilst she waited for dinner to be ready. A grin came to her face when the introduction to _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ started up, Katara's smooth voice taking over the room. She immediately set the remote back down and made herself comfortable.

Halfway through the episode when Sokka was losing his shit at some funny nomads who wouldn't stop singing, her dad walked in and told her that dinner was ready. _Huh. When did he get home?_

She turned the TV off and shuffled into the kitchen, her nose sniffing at the air in delight as she helped her dad set the table for dinner. He looked awfully tired today, she noted, his eye bags more prominent than ever, though she was sure the lighting in the room didn't help it look any better. It was almost as if he skipped work for the day to go run a marathon instead.

"You alright, Dad?" She asked him, reaching around to give him a one-armed hug after she placed the spoons on the table.

"Sure am, muchachita." He assured her while planting a quick kiss on the top of her head and gesturing for her to sit down as the food was brought in. "It's just been a stressful day, that's all." He told her after he sat in his own seat.

"Okay…" Tia hummed and let the topic go as she gently blew on the chicken soup in her spoon.

"Would you like to explain what happened at school today?" Her mum asked after a moment, her concerned eyes resting on Tia's face as she took another mouthful of the hot soup. "You nearly gave the both of us a heart attack."

The girl shrugged, "I don't really know, to be honest. I was just sitting there when I felt really dizzy all of a sudden. I felt completely fine before it happened…"

Her parents shared a look before her dad started, "Have you been eating properly? Drinking enough water? How about sleep? Is your room getting too hot at night? I think I might bring the big fan in for you—"

"David." Her mum interrupted, successfully snapping his mouth shut in an instant, clearly not wanting to face her wrath if he were to continue. If Tia didn't know any better, she'd probably think he looked nervous, even. Her mum folded her hands together on the table. "Now, I know you may not like this, but we're going to keep you home for a couple of days."

Tia's mouth dropped open in disbelief. "But mum, I have dance practice tomorrow!"

"Ah-ah." Her mum waggled a finger in the air. "No buts."

"I feel fine, though!" Tia huffed, not liking the way this was going. Friday was her favourite day of the week, along with Tuesday, because of her dance classes. Any other day and she probably would've been _thanking_ her parents for letting her stay home.

Her dad finally stepped in and gently placed a hand on top of hers, "Just because you say you're fine, doesn't mean you are. We're just worried about you."

Tia slumped into her chair in defeat at her dad's comforting gesture. "Fine." She agreed.

* * *

 _December 14th, 2016_

A few days passed after the incident and she was finally back at school. Her parents only kept her home for four days; even calling into her work to let the boss know that she wouldn't be in that weekend. She spent the majority of her time watching videos on YouTube or checking out some new TV shows on Netflix, but even then, she still managed to get bored.

It was the last class of the day and she was back in Mr Aswald's classroom. She couldn't help the small, embarrassed wince that appeared on her face when she first walked in. Last time she was here, the middle-aged man had to carry her all the way to the nurse's office. She felt kind of sorry for putting him in that situation, though there was nothing she could've done about it since she was unconscious.

Today was another note-taking lesson, much to her chagrin. The teacher, however, seemed pretty happy that she wasn't fidgeting with her things again. It helped that she actually had the correct notebook, of course. Turns out said book had slid under her bed, but that didn't explain how the other one mysteriously switched from her work bag to her school bag—

"Pssst."

Not realizing that it was her attention the person was seeking, she continued writing until she felt a firm poke on her shoulder, followed by another "pssst". She stopped halfway through writing a word and turned around in her chair. Her classmate, Michaela, was staring at her with the biggest, blue eyes she's ever seen. She shared a few classes with the other girl but that was it. They never really spoke before—she's actually surprised she remembered the girl's name to begin with.

"What's up?" She asked quietly, her honey brown eyes catching a note being tossed across the back of the room before settling on the blond girl.

Michaela leaned forward in her chair, before asking in a hushed whisper, "Who's Shay?"

"I don't know." Tia cocked her head in confusion. "Who is he? Uh, it is a _he_ , right?"

"You tell me. You kept mumbling their name after you passed out the other day." The girl replied, sharing the same expression of confusion. "I think I'm the only one who heard you, since it took a while for Aswald to notice your… _situation_."

"Weird. I don't know anyone by that name…" Tia responded after a moment of trying to collect her thoughts.

"Huh. Well," the girl shrugged and moved back, "I just thought I'd ask."

Tia nodded and turned her attention back to the front. She filed the name away to the back of her mind, choosing not to dwell on it. A half hour later, she was changing into a pair of black harem pants with silver zips across the front and a white Adidas tank top. She took her silvery hair out of it's ponytail and ran her fingers through it to loosen the tangles. Finally deeming herself as presentable, she hurried out of the change rooms and into the school gym.

Now, it was her favourite part of the day—after school dance club. Dancing was one of her passions ever since she was a young girl. Hip-hop definitely appealed to her the most out of all of the different styles, though. Although it was not always easy, it was unlimited in the ways that you could move your body. Besides, Mark always came in to watch her on Tuesday's, since they were his days off work.

A grin made it's way onto her face when she spotted her best friend sitting on the floor beside the instructor, Lewis, and some other students. Everyone was used to the young man's presence by now. At first, the instructor was a tad concerned when he kept insisting on sitting with the group rather than with the parents and other visitors at the side of the gym where all the guest chairs were lined up. Now, nobody seemed to mind—in fact, a lot of the younger kids seemed to vie for his attention.

She ran and slid next to him, bumping her elbow into his arm in a friendly gesture. "Hey, you."

"'Sup, Tia." He gave her a toothy grin. "Gonna blow me away with some cool dance moves today?"

"Don't I always?" She jested in an over-exaggerated manner, flicking her hair over her shoulder. She laughed and pushed on his shoulder when he poked her in the side.

It wasn't too long before the last few students arrived and the instructor had them all doing some quick warm-ups. Tia begged Mark to join in with them, pulling him along as they jogged around the gym and completed some stretches. She rolled her eyes when he lazily complied with her wishes; purposely dragging his feet around as he jogged beside her.

"Okay guys!" Lewis called with a clap of his hand, catching the attention of everyone in the room. "Who's up for some solo freestyle today?"

Everyone cheered, some of them even jumping up and down on the spot in excitement. Tia clapped her hands in agreement. Freestyling was a lot of fun and it appeared she wasn't the only one who thought so.

Lewis laughed at their enthusiasm. "Alright, who's up first then?"

Multiple hands shot up in the air, including her own. He pointed to a young boy, probably around the age of thirteen, standing at the front of the group. "Alright Johnny, let's see what you got." He said, welcoming the boy onto the dancefloor. "Any song good for you?"

Johnny nodded and readied himself on the spot as everyone else sat on the floor again, preparing themselves for the performance. Despite his age, Johnny was considered to be one of the best dancers in the group, often being placed as lead whenever they perform for an event. He was one agile kid and no one fully knew what to expect whenever he chose to do a freestyle dance.

A fast paced dance beat began to play from the gym's sound system, the music echoing throughout the large area. The boy waited until it was a few paces in before he started to move, carefully trying to pick up on the pattern of the song that he clearly didn't know. A few students began to holler and clap along as he executed some more complex dance moves, his body seeming to flow around him in a strong, yet graceful dance.

As the song was coming to an end, he ran as close as he could to the others and performed a front flip, landing in a crouch position right in front of them. A few kids laughed when his snapback flew off his head from the momentum, almost whacking someone in the face, while others began to clap and whistle in amazement.

Mark was gazing at the boy with a look of awe. "Holy damn, that was his best one yet. Should get the kid to give _me_ lessons on flipping like that."

Tia giggled, quirking a teasing brow at her friend. "Dude, you can barely pull off a cartwheel."

"Did I ask for your opinion?" He countered with a mock pout.

The two of them went back to watching the next few students who stood up for their turn until, finally, it was Tia's turn to showcase her own skills. Handing her phone to Mark so he could look after it, she quickly shuffled over to the middle of the dancefloor.

"Any song requests?" Lewis asked her, his phone in hand and ready to play through bluetooth.

"Yeah." She thought for a moment before requesting 'Good' by LOCO to be played.

She started with a few slow steps forward, rolling her shoulders in time with the music. The group began to fade into the background as she began to focus on the dance, her breath slowly escalating as she picked up speed in her movements. She side stepped to the right, sticking her arm out as she twirled around in a quick circle. When she was facing the front again, she faltered in her steps.

The gym and the class was gone, replaced by what appeared to be a large, yet empty dock by the icy waters of the sea—a medium-sized ship calmly bobbing on the icy waters beneath it. Strangely enough, the music could still be heard, though it was really quiet and almost sounded as if it was being muffled through water.

She glanced around in confusion, expecting to see some land behind her and perhaps an indicator of where the heck she was. Her mouth dropped open when she found that the docks just kept going and going until it was a tiny speck in the distance, apparently heading nowhere but the dark horizon of the night, white snow dusting along the wooden surface.

 _Strange_ , she thought as she wiped at the sweat gathering on her forehead. She didn't feel cold at all.

Her eyes widened and she did a double-take at the ship, her brain finally catching up with the fact that it had _sails._ What kind of ship uses _sails_ nowadays? Really, now that she thought about it, it looked like something Mr Aswald would fanboy over in history class. He was always going on about the old warships and such. If only she paid more attention in class. Maybe then, she could've identified what sort of ship this was.

"Why did you stop?"

The deep voice cut through the air, startling her out of her thoughts. She spun around to find the culprit looking down at her with one of the most gentle smiles she's ever seen. She gulped and took a step back as he slowly sauntered towards her, his heavy boots creating a thudding noise with every step he took. She took note of his strange, military-like clothes; flinching when he reached out to brush a gloved hand over her cheek. Who was this man and why did it seem like he _knew_ her?

She didn't reply to him; only stayed silent when he gently tucked her fringe behind her ear. With the man so close, she was almost in a trance-like state as she took in his features. It didn't make any sense whatsoever, but it felt like she knew this man as well; like he was someone important to her.

His eyes were a dark, chocolatey brown in colour and were almost hooded as he continued to caress the side of her face and neck. A long, thin scar ran down the right side of his face, just _barely_ missing the actual eye itself. His dark hair was tied back in a low, neat ponytail that made her want to loosen it from its hold just so she could see what he looked like with his hair down and framing his angular face. A thin layer of stubble could be seen, though it was difficult to be sure considering it was dark out—it could've been dirt for all she knew. Either way, dark or not, it wasn't hard to tell that this man was rather good-looking.

"Why did you stop?" He repeated in a lower, more quiet voice, gently tugging her closer by the wrist.

This time, she picked up on the accent he had. Her brain was a bit too muddled to really figure out what it was though. She gasped when he slowly lifted her chin and held her face in both of his hands, his warm breath fanning her cheeks as he began to guide his lips towards hers. Just before they made contact, she blacked out for the second time that week.

* * *

 **A/N:** _ **Oooh**_ **, I wonder who the mysterious man was at the end just now? :') Hope you guys enjoyed that chapter. Read & Review is always appreciated—I love knowing what you're all thinking! For now though, I'm off. Until the next chapter, imakemyownblog out xx **


	3. Chapter 3

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter Three**

 _December 15th, 2016_

Once again, Tia awoke to an unpleasant headache that made her want to fall right back unconscious again. Her parents hovered over her with worried expressions, both exhaling a sigh of relief when their daughter's eyes cracked open, revealing tired, honey brown irises. It took her a moment to realize where she was before she shot herself upwards into a seated position, instantly regretting the action when the room started to shift from sideways.

"Whoa," her dad jumped forward to assist her in lying back down, "careful there, honey."

"Remind me not to do that again…" She groaned, trying not to think about how she wanted to hurl over the side of the bed. "Ugh, what happened?"

Her dad released a quiet sigh and it was obvious to Tia that it was strained. Her mum came over to the other side of the bed and sat down beside her. "Mark told us you fainted during the middle of a dance solo. He carried you out to his car and brought you home after that." She said, her lips forming a thin line.

Not quite sure how to react to the news—and partially because her mind was still trying to catch up to the situation—she settled with a simple "oh". There was still light coming in through the windows, so she mustn't have been out for as long as she originally thought. "What time is it?" She asked.

Her mum offered her a small smile. "It's nine thirty in the morning, muchachita. You slept right through the night, you did."

Again, Tia was at a loss of what to say, so she chose to stay quiet and nod instead. How could she have been out for so long? Was this even normal? She wondered why her parents hadn't taken her to the doctors yet, considering how much of a worry wart her dad was when it came to her health. Did they not think it was serious enough? Because she sure as hell was beginning to think so. Though, now that she thought about it, it's probably best they didn't do that. The doctor would probably send her straight to the mental hospital after hearing what happens every time she passes out.

Her dad stood up. "Well, now that you're awake, why don't you get freshened up, and your mum and I will go make some breakfast for you? How's that sound?" He smiled, walking out of the room. He paused just before he reached the door, "Also, don't forget to message Mark. He looked a little shaken last night when he brought you in."

Tia nodded, sending him a smile of her own. She felt the bed shift slightly and a gentle kiss was placed to the side of her temple before her mum was heading out the door alongside her dad. Once she was left to her own devices, she flopped herself back with a heavy sigh. Mark would no doubt have work soon, so it would probably be a good idea to call him now. She probably gave him— _and_ the dance class—a huge scare.

She rubbed away the sleep in her eyes before searching around for her phone. Spotting it on the bedside table, she realized her parents must have left it there knowing she would want to check it once she woke up. Surely enough, the first thing that popped up was a message from Mark:

' _Want to explain what the hell just happened? :/'_

' _I would if I could, Mark. How embarrassing… :('_

He must have been waiting for her because the reply she got back was almost instant. ' _Are you sick or something? Because if you are, I can drive you to the doctors if your parents are too busy.'_

She couldn't help but to grin at his offer. ' _Thanks, but it's alright. :) My parents are just gonna keep me home for a few days to rest.'_

' _Oh yeah, didn't the same thing happen like a week ago? In class?'_

' _Yeah? How did you know that?'_

' _I figured since you didn't come into work last weekend…'_ A second text immediately followed. ' _Can I ask you something?'_

She paused at that. Whenever Mark _asked_ to ask her a question, she knew something was up. ' _Sure. What's up?'_

' _Do you have a new boyfriend or something?'_

She reread the question a few times, unsure if she was actually seeing this right. Her brows furrowed. A new boyfriend? ' _Uh, no? You're like the only guy I bother talking to… Where's this even coming from anyway?'_

' _You kept saying someone's name during the ride home, so I figured you must have someone new or something…'_

She frowned, recalling how the girl from her class had said the exact same thing. She hesitated to type her next question, already knowing she wouldn't like the answer, but she had to find out. ' _What was the name?'_

' _Shay? :/'_

She cussed under her breath. There it was: the answer she was dreading. What was she to say to that? It didn't make any sense to her, so it definitely wouldn't be any different for Mark. As far as she knew, he's never met anyone by that name before otherwise he wouldn't be asking. She decided it would be smartest to avoid the topic for now—at least until she finds out what's going on.

' _I don't know, man. Maybe you heard me wrong? Anyways, I gotta go! The parents are waiting for me downstairs. Byeeeee!'_

' _Yeah, you're probably right... Talk later then. :)'_

She tossed the phone down the end of her bed, mildly annoyed at the situation. Who was this Shay person and what relevance did they have to her life? Perhaps it was someone she knew from years ago, but the memories of them were somehow tucked away in the recesses of her mind, and that's why she couldn't remember them? She shook her head, deciding to dwell on it later.

Before she jumped in the shower, she decided to redo her roots back to its usual silvery-lilac colour. Her dark chocolate roots were showing through and that was _not_ an attractive look for her. Once that was all done and she had gotten out of the shower, she blow-dried her hair so that it was dry enough not to be dripping down her back—she hated the feeling of her wet hair sticking to her skin. As she was getting dressed, a delightful smell wafted in through the door.

She sniffed the air. _Mm, pancakes…_

When she went downstairs, a fresh serving of the delicious breakfast was placed on the table for her, along with a few toppings she liked and some apple juice. She had no doubts that her mum was the one to make all of this; her dad probably stood there like a potato with no clue about what he was doing. She was just taking the first bite when he walked up beside her, dressed like he was about to head out.

"We're gonna head down to the shops to get some stuff for dinner. You need anything?"

"Yeah, um," she swallowed her mouthful of food and tilted her head back to look at him, "can I please get a packet of Skittles?"

He gave her a look, "I asked if you _needed_ anything, missy, not if you _wanted_ anything."

"But _please_ , daddy?" She pouted, knowing he would crumble at the sight of it.

She could see the internal struggle he was having, before he bent down to kiss her on the forehead, "Alright, alright. Only one packet, though, you." He insisted, tapping her on the head when she nodded up at him.

The jingle of the keys signalled her mum walking down the stairs, ready to go, with her sunglasses already covering her eyes. She headed straight to the garage door, "David, are you ready?"

"Tch. I've been ready for ten minutes, lady!" He exaggerated, earning himself a half-hearted glare as she walked out the door. The beep of the car unlocking prompted him to finally get a move on, "We won't be long, muchachita." He said as he pulled the door shut behind him.

"See ya in a bit, Dad." She chuckled, going back to eating her food.

It didn't take her long to finish up and soon she was packing away the dirty dishes into the dishwasher so they could be put on later tonight. She was padding her way up the stairs and down the hall to her room when she felt a familiar tingling sensation crawling its way across her spine. Why did it feel like she was being watched all of a sudden? Was there an intruder in the house?

Thinking quickly, she grabbed the first thing she could see to use as a weapon, which, much to her chagrin, happened to be a broomstick. She grimaced at the object. _They'll be pissing their pants for sure, Tia..._

She chewed on her lip as she crept along towards her door, trying her hardest not to make a sound as she pushed the door open. She took a few seconds to prepare herself before she jumped into the room, the broomstick raised high over her head so she could smack anyone who dared to come close enough.

A bright, white flash startled her, making her swing the broom sideways. A loud thwacking sound was heard as the end of the stick came into contact with human skin; a man in an unusual yellow uniform falling to the floor, cupping his reddening cheek in a mixture of shock and surprise. Several other men wearing the exact same uniform formed a half-ring around him, all of them gaping down at their fallen comrade.

In her shock, Tia barely registered that she was no longer in her room, but was instead surrounded by masses of snow—something she had _never_ seen before in her life—and grey brick. Tall walls of grey surrounded them, enclosing all the small buildings and markets inside. She watched, utterly confused, as more snow danced its way down from the sky and added to the already thick layer of white snow on the ground. _Where the heck am I? Am I in some kinda fort?_

Loud shouts in a different language startled her out of her momentary daze, her eyes focusing back on the fallen man before her. He was getting up now and he did _not_ look happy, and neither did his gang of friends. Upon closer inspection, she could see the angry red line starting to form on his face from where the broom had struck him. Her eyes widened upon noticing the long, heavy-looking swords that were strapped to their bodies. _Shit._

With a nervous laugh, she turned on her heel and shot off in the other direction, not wanting wait around and find out what cruel punishments they had in mind for her. People looked up in shock as she sprinted past them, the group of around seven men scrambling after her, roaring at her in a language her mind was just beginning to recognize as French. In the distance, she spotted two large, wooden doors that were opened _just_ wide enough for her to slip through without any trouble.

 _That must be the exit,_ she thought with glee. Maybe then, she could figure out where the hell she was and get some help. She skidded around the corner of a lone building only to smack right into another man, who grunted as she landed on him, a loud whoosh of air escaping his lungs from the impact.

"Shit!" She climbed off the stranger, puffed breaths leaving her mouth. Two others stood right behind him, but she didn't really look at them as she began to back away with her hands held up in surrender. "I'm _so_ sorry, I didn't mean to—"

The sound of several pairs of boots crunching through the snow cut off her apologies and she let out a yelp as a yellow-clad arm wrapped itself around her waist, lifting her off the ground. She wriggled furiously in an attempt to be put down, but to no avail, her captor simply tightened his grip. Red-cheeks stepped in front of them, a smug grin stretched across his features.

"What do we have here?" He sneered in a deep voice, jutting his chin out towards her. Tia could barely understand a thing he was saying—his French accent being so thick that he may as well have been speaking the language in first place.

"A stray whore, perhaps?" One of the others piped in, his accent being slightly less stronger than the first. "What the _devil_ is she wearing?"

The second those words left the man's mouth, everyone's eyes were quick to rake over her form in a shameless manner. The grip around her waist seemed to loosen a bit and it didn't take a genius to know that the man holding her was also attempting to get a look at her. She was wearing her favourite dance clothes, consisting of some cherry red Vans—that she didn't remember putting on—black harem pants with silver zips across the front, and a plain, black crop top with long sleeves, giving everyone the perfect view of her exposed midriff.

"Look at her hair… I've never seen anything like it before." Another man commented. Everyone else seemed too baffled to respond right away, seemingly forgetting what they were doing in order to gawk at her silvery locks.

"What seems to be the problem here?"

An older man dressed head to toe in dark clothes pushed his way into the circle, followed by two others—a young man that looked strangely familiar and the person she had knocked over a few moments ago. She picked up on the older man's pronunciation, noticing that he too was a Frenchman. Though, _his_ accent was not nearly as strong as the others.

Her captors immediately straightened up, looks of respect crossing their faces as they turned their attention to him. Red-cheeks before her coughed and jabbed a thumb in her direction. "Caught this one trying to stir up trouble, sir. She managed to strike me with her weapon before trying to give us all the slip."

The man took a step closer, gazing down at her with strict, copper brown eyes that made her want to break eye contact. "I will take her off your hands." He told them, before turning around to make his way out of the heap of men.

Red-cheeks immediately stepped forward in protest, "B-but sir, we were just about to—"

A fierce glare painted the older man's features upon having his orders questioned and he turned around to sneer at them all. "Put the girl _down_ before I turn you and your incompetent crew into food for the sharks! She comes with me— _no questions asked._ "

Threatening the men seemed to do the trick and, right away, the man holding her released her onto the floor in an undignified heap. She swore and rubbed at her sore behind, giving each of her captors a nasty glare before picking herself up from the icy ground for the second time that day. With a wave of his hand, her savior motioned for her to follow him as the other two men behind him let her walk in front, choosing to stay behind should any of the captors try anything funny.

She could hear them hissing in their mother tongue as she strode away, their angry comments no doubt being aimed towards herself. Coming up behind the man, she gave him a grateful look—not that he saw it since his hood was up and he was walking ahead of her. "Uh, thanks for that back there."

He simply nodded in return, remaining silent as they got closer to the entrance of the fort. When they reached the doors, he turned to look at her. "You're not from around here, girl." He stated, not even questioning the fact that she was indeed lost. One glance at her hair and clothing was enough of an answer for him, it seemed.

"N-nope..." She confirmed, cold shivers beginning to rack at her body as the heat and adrenaline from being chased died down. "Uh, where is _here_ exactly?"

The man quirked a brow. "You are in Fort Baie Rouge, a French stronghold in the North Atlantic."

Her mouth dropped open. So, what he meant to say was that she had somehow travelled all the way from her home in _sunny_ _Australia_ to _here—some random fort in the North Atlantic—_ in less than a matter of seconds? Not only that, but she must have travelled back in time or something as well—if the clothes, speech and _swords_ were anything to go by.

Coming to the conclusion that she must be dreaming, she began to pinch at the skin of her arms, ignoring the man's slightly startled look. _Ugh, why isn't it working? I should be waking up by now!_ She thought frantically, pinching herself even harder when her earlier efforts served to be fruitless.

"What are you doing, girl?" He hissed with furrowed brows.

The other two caught up to them and the familiar guy chuckled in an amused fashion. "Not a minute later and you've already broken the lass, Chevalier."

Her ears perked slightly at the musical Irish lilt in his voice. Why was everything about this young man so familiar? She stopped her actions to take in his appearance now that he stood closer. He, unlike the older man, wore clothes of a lighter shade—a pair of beige pants combined with a white button up shirt, its lapels coming to sit on top of the lengthy stone blue jacket he wore. Wrapped around his midsection was a red sash, sat partially hidden by the shirt and jacket, with several belts and buckles sitting snugly around his sturdy form. He didn't appear to have any weapons on his person though, which she guessed was a good thing.

She had to hold back a gasp when she finally looked up to his face. Wasn't this the man she saw before she passed out? The only difference was that he looked slightly younger, his hair was shorter and fanned across his forehead, and he had a questionable moustache that left her feeling very conflicted over whether it was attractive or not.

All in all, this was the same man.

The Frenchman—whose name was apparently Chevalier—looked about ready to smack the younger man over the head at the accusation, but the other guy quickly stepped in and put himself between them, effectively pushing them away from each other. "How's about we go and check on our supplies, yeah?"

Chevalier snorted and gave the young Irishman a scathing look, "Anything is better than dealing with this _cabbage farmer_." With that said, he strode off through the entrance, leaving them behind.

Once he was far enough, the other man turned to give his friend a stern look. " _Shay._ "

Tia's eyes snapped towards him the second she heard the name leave his mouth. _Did he just say Shay? I'm pretty sure he just said Shay. Shit, 'cabbage farmer' is Shay! Goddamn it… this is one hell of a dream._ She snapped herself out of it, happy that the others didn't seem to notice her brain momentarily imploding on itself.

"You know you shouldn't stir him up. Or have you forgotten that it's _his_ ship you are travelling on? I don't think the mentor would be too happy to hear that one of his students was thrown overboard for petty behaviour."

"He can't do that, Liam..." Shay chuckled, brushing him off with a wave of his hand, and then added, "Unless he actually _wants_ to face Achilles' wrath!"

Liam just shook his head, turning away from him so he could offer his jacket to Tia to shield her from the cold. She took it gratefully, revelling in the warmth and cosiness that it provided. It was pretty big on her smaller frame, but not so small that it completely engulfed her. _Just how I like it_ , she thought. As she was adjusting the collar so that it sat correctly, the tips of her fingers brushed against a loose piece of fabric. Gently tugging on it, she realized it was a hood and pulled it over her head with a grin, not noticing that the men beside her shared a secretive look.

Now that she was all warm and sorted, the two of them led her away from the fort and down a small hill towards the water where a huge man o' war bobbed gently with the calm waves. A group of sailors could be seen moving along the main deck, carrying heavy boxes of cargo with them around the ship, and amongst them, Chevalier stood talking to a burly-looking bald man. With a final nod, he dismissed the brute who then departed down the gangway with an intimidating gait. She eyed him subtly as he strode past, both disturbed and fascinated by his hulking figure.

"The supplies have been handled," Chevalier announced, motioning for them to board the ship. "Now, we must continue with our voyage."

Tia stood there, embarrassed and unsure of what to do, as Liam and Shay began to make their way up the gangway. "U-um… What am I supposed to do?" She asked meekly, suddenly glad that the hood was covering the majority of her face.

"What do you mean, girl? You come with us, now make haste!" Chevalier arched a brow, his hard expression laced with impatience. "Unless, of course, you _want_ to stay with the guards you have angered."

She hesitated to take her first step. This would be her first time at sea— _heck_ , this would be her first time on a boat, even. And, not only that, but it was a massive one like this one, _and_ she would be joining a bunch of strangers as well. Once she stepped on this thing, there was no way off, and she wasn't exactly the greatest swimmer, despite living in Australia where swimming lessons were practically compulsory in almost every school.

Sensing her hesitation, Liam backtracked down the plank towards her and politely offered her his arm. She stared at it dumbly for a few seconds, internally debating over staying here and facing those guards, or taking his arm and joining these men onboard their ship. Just because they saved her, doesn't automatically make them good people. They could have worse intentions than the soldiers did and she wouldn't have any real way of knowing. With that last thought in mind, she finally decided and latched onto his arm.

 _Here goes nothing, I guess…_

"Didn't think I'd let you keep my jacket, did you?" Liam chuckled quietly as he led her forwards, easily picking up on the way she was squeezing his arm with each step. "This your first time getting on a ship, lass?"

Her only response was a single nod, too scared that if she opened her mouth to reply, a strange garble of anxious vocabulary would be the only thing to come tumbling out. The ascent onto the ship wasn't as bad as she expected, though that was mainly thanks to Liam's gentle coaxing and strong arm guiding her along. She didn't let it go even when they were finally at the top, though Liam didn't seem to mind—if he did, he didn't say anything. Shay, however, seemed to be stifling a laugh at the sight of his friend's chivalry, covering his mouth with a gloved hand.

"I didn't realize you were such a _gentleman_ , Liam." He tittered, amused.

Not liking the way he was teasing him, she immediately fired back with a snippy remark, pointedly giving him a mock once-over as she did so. "You mean as opposed to someone like you?"

This only seemed to egg the young man on and his laugh grew even louder. He wiped away an imaginary tear with the back of his hand. "That a challenge, lass?"

"Could be." She quipped, dropping her arms from Liam's so that she could fold them over her chest in an indignant manner. _This guy's an asshole!_

"Alright, alright. That's enough." Liam interjected, having heard enough of his best friend bickering with everyone today. "Go make yourself useful, Shay."

"Aye," Shay complied, still chuckling as he walked off in the other direction in search of something to do.

Not missing the way he looked at her as he left, she huffed and glared at his retreating form. "Is he always like that?" She asked Liam with a sour tone.

"Not all the time, no, but he does have his moments." He shook his head and put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on. I'll give you a grand tour of the place."

With an enthusiastic smile, she let him guide her around the topside of Chevalier's ship, pointing out multiple different areas and equipment to her, though she barely understood him through all of his technical terms. She focused completely on his words though, surprising herself. Usually with stuff like this, it bored her and she would zone out, but he held himself with such confidence that it actually _made_ her want to pay attention. _If he was my history teacher instead of Oswald, then maybe I'd be passing more of my tests instead of failing them tremendously…_

Eventually, they found themselves in the underbelly of the ship, stepping into an area filled with hammocks and small beds—the _"mess deck"_ , he'd called it. "This is where the crew sleeps. You'll also be staying in here, but it will have to be beside either Shay or myself considering the majority of the crew's... _behaviour_ towards special treatment, much less a young lady like yourself."

Tia tilted her head in confusion, "What?"

He scratched at his neck, his eyes looking away from her for the briefest of moments. "I'll let you figure that one out for yourself…"

It took a few seconds before a light bulb went off in her head. "Ah yeah, I get you." She chuckled sheepishly and changed the topic. "So then, how does food work around here?"

Liam straightened up, seeming rather glad about the change of subject. "It's rather simple, really. Each sailor has their own rations of food and nothing extra. Keep that in mind—nobody gets special treatment from the cook, so don't go trying to chat him up for extra rations... though you don't look like the kind of person who'd do that. Just a warning, is all."

"Fair enough." She said with a nod. There was a lot more to take in than she originally thought, but she figured she may as well get used to it if this was how it's going to be for a while.

Now that she had a better grasp of how things ran around here, they went up to the quarterdeck where Chevalier was standing at the wheel, barking some orders at his men in order to get the ship in motion. Shay stood a fair distance behind him, clearly not wanting to be too close to the point where he had to initiate conversation. Liam went to stand with him, meanwhile Tia took a spot next to the wheel with the captain.

"I imagine the introductions to my ship went well?" He inquired, before telling the crew to get a move on.

"Yes, Che—" she coughed, realizing that she almost used his name. "Sir. No problems at all."

He hummed, focusing on turning the wheel as the ship began to drift forward. She tried not focus on how strange it felt standing on something that was _constantly_ rocking with the movements of the water, and instead busied her mind with the way the crew worked in harmony, almost as if this was second nature to them. It probably was, too. Men, both young and old, were seen pulling on the ropes and climbing up the sides of the ship, sweat already gathering on their clothes from all the physical work—but they looked happy, satisfied. It was how she felt when she danced.

She was even more thankful for Liam's jacket now that the wind was really beginning to pick up, seeming even colder than it was before now that they were on the open ocean. It had an icy bite to it that Tia wasn't familiar with and she couldn't stop her teeth from chattering, no matter how hard she tried.

Chevalier abruptly broke the silence between them. "I never caught your name, girl…" He trailed off, the question hanging in the air for a moment.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Liam and Shay had stopped their conversation in order to tune into theirs, also curious as to what their new companion's name was. Even though she felt somewhat safe with them, she didn't know if it was a smart idea to just hand them her name on a silver platter. Could she really trust them?

She focused her attention back to the working sailors. "It's Chachi."

* * *

 **A/N: Alright, with some grand appearances finally being made, the story can** _ **really**_ **start. ;) I'm curious to know if anyone is familiar with the alias I gave her just now… Tis based on a person I used to look up to a lot. :)**

 **Anyways, moving on: many thanks to those first couple of reviewers/readers I've had. The reviews made me smile and so did the view count. :') I honestly wasn't expecting much when I first uploaded it but this is going pretty good so far. P.S. I haven't forgotten about the book. You'll see. ;) Until next time~ imakemyownblog out xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter Four**

"Chachi," Chevalier repeated, testing the foreign name on his tongue. He glanced at her. "A unique name for a unique looking girl."

"I could say the same for you about your name," Tia joked, managing to evoke a small grin from the older man.

"Well, would you look at that? You've managed a smile out of him..." Shay commented as he approached them from behind, an expression of faux surprise spread across his face. "And here I was thinking such a feat was impossible!"

Shay's input was clearly unappreciated as it wiped the grin right off Chevalier's face in a split second and he was back to scowling, pinning the young man with a fierce glare. "Your presence deprives me of the ability to do so, _boy_."

Tia chewed at her bottom lip as she watched the interaction. By now, she has already came to the conclusion that the two men were in no way fond of each other, if the constant bickering and throwing of insults was anything to go by.

Even now, Chevalier kept his scornful gaze on his younger counterpart, and it was painfully obvious he would be quick to retaliate against anything the young man had to say to him, almost like a vicious dog baring its teeth at anyone who dared cross into it's territory. Shay, on the other hand, didn't seem particularly bothered by the older man's retort at all. In fact, he even looked _used_ to it.

Whether that was a good thing or not, she didn't know, but she wouldn't involve herself in it. What could she possibly do anyway?

"Why don't you tell us more about yourself?" Liam prompted, his steel blue eyes coming to rest on her face. He obviously thought it was a smart idea to change the subject before things escalated.

 _Great… Thanks, Liam._

She was sent back in time, that much was easy to tell. If not, then these were some _insanely_ skilled cosplayers with some equally insane props, but she knew deep down that that wasn't the case. She was still clueless as to what year it was— _the seventeen or eighteen hundreds, if she had to guess?_ —and she frantically searched her brain for answers. Was she living in a time of war? Who were these people? Had Australia even been found yet?

 _Should've paid more attention in class, Tia,_ she told herself in a voice not unlike her _favourite_ teacher's.

What was she supposed to tell them? It's not like she could openly announce that she was from twenty-first century Australia, so she either had to lie or come up with something quickly so they don't suspect anything. _Or maybe…_

"I'm from Valencia, Spain. My birthday is in July and I love to dance." She stated with confidence. Harmless facts—no lies and, better yet, she could elaborate on them if they asked.

"Ah, Spain?" Chevalier perked up in recognition. "My voyages have allowed me to visit the beautiful country more than once. Although," he continued, giving her choice of dress a pointed look, "I don't remember seeing anyone else dressed quite like yourself."

She swore she could feel a headache coming on.

* * *

Time passed quickly enough for the rest of the day, and soon, the sun began its slow descent into the horizon, leaving the ship bathed in a warm, orange glow. Chevalier had given his first mate the wheel and disappeared into the captain's cabin, leaving Tia with the two Irishmen as they headed down into the ship's belly.

They made themselves comfortable next to a few barrels in the corner, trying to stay out of everyone's way. Food would be ready soon, and the sailors were eager to get their fill, so they were busy rushing around to finish up whatever task they had at hand. Once dinner was finally announced, over half the crew had joined them down below, filling up the room with loud chatter and some questionable smells that made Tia's nose wrinkle as they walked past.

"I'll go," Liam offered, expertly weaving his way through the crowded room to get some bowls of food for the three of them.

Meanwhile, tired of standing, Tia hoisted herself up onto one of the barrels and took a seat, making sure to leave enough space for Liam when he returns.

"Your name's not actually Chachi, is it?" Shay inquired suddenly, breaking the silence between them. The young man was leaning back against the barrel adjacent to hers, his arms folded and his eyes closed as he waited. "Well?"

Without looking at him, she answered. "What gave you that idea?"

"Just a feeling."

"Huh."

"You aren't really helping yourself by lying like that, ya know?" He was looking at her now, his lips set into a thin line.

"I don't think it's any of your business," she told him, honey brown irises narrowing towards his own darker ones.

"Oh, but I think it is considerin' we're the ones who saved you—"

"Actually, _Chevalier_ saved me." She stated matter-of-factly, interrupting him.

" _My point,_ lass, is that spouting lies 'round here will get you nowhere. For your own sake, I suggest that it doesn't become a habit..."

She huffed and turned her head away in annoyance, deciding that it would be best if she just ignored him. _Why does he care what happens to me anyway? He should just butt out…_

She heard him shift a bit—most likely unfolding his arms—and released what sounded like a frustrated cuss word under his breath. This was so weird. She'd never been the type to disagree with someone like this, especially with someone of whom she just met—not counting her grump of a history teacher, of course.

It wasn't like she _wanted_ to dislike Shay, but it was kinda hard when all he's done today was give everyone cheek. He could be a genuinely nice guy for all she knew, but at the moment, her opinion of him was lowering with nearly every sentence that came out of his mouth.

Liam finally rejoined them a moment later while balancing three helpings of food and some tankards in his arms. God knows she would have dropped those if she'd attempted to do the same thing, despite her employment as a waitress for the past year.

"Thanks," she said as he handed her a bowl first, followed by a silver tankard filled with amber liquid.

"I hope you don't mind what we have to offer," he said, in the process of giving Shay his own food. Now that they all had their food, he assumed a similar position as his friend and began to dig in.

She looked down at her own bowl with a critical eye, almost afraid of what she would see in it. She relaxed when she saw it was only dried bread, meat (which she would pass) and cheese, along with a juicy red apple on the side. "Looks fine to me," she replied.

The two men conversed about several things as they ate and Tia zoned out, not caring to know what they were saying at this point. She was much too occupied with filling her empty stomach and arguing with herself in her head. How did she get to that fort? How will she get home? And, most importantly, _when_ will she go home?

The questions swam around in endless circles, making her headache return. No longer hungry, she pushed her half-finished plate away and picked up the tankard to take a sip of whatever was inside, not really stopping to think about the colour of it.

" _Mm!_ " She recoiled when a foul taste hit her mouth and spat the contents back into the cup. She tapped Liam on the shoulder, effectively cutting off his conversation with Shay. "The hell is in this cup, dude?"

He quirked a brow at her. "Dude?"

"Just answer my question."

"It's rum," he divulged calmly, as if he didn't just try to murder her tastebuds.

Her expression twisted unpleasantly. "What made you think it was a good idea to give a seventeen year old girl _rum_?"

"I can take it off your hands," Shay suggested, holding out a gloved hand for her drink. He smirked. "Can't say I'm surprised, though. You don't look like you can hold your liquor all that well."

Tia held the cup out to him, a saccharine grin on her face. "In that case, enjoy." _Asshole._

"She spat the drink back, Shay."

She gasped and pinned the man with a mock glare. "Damn it, Liam! Why'd you have to tell him that?"

He apologized halfheartedly, the beginnings of an amused smile tugging at his lips. Shay, however, looked mildly disgusted by her evil idea and immediately drew his hand back. She gave him a look and set the cup back down.

"Are you really seventeen, lass?" Liam inquired after the initial amusement had died down.

"Sure am," she confirmed, breaking off a piece of cheese so she could rid her mouth of the horrible aftertaste. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Just thought you were a bit older, is all."

"Guess that explains why you gave me a cup of liquid regret." She concluded bluntly.

"That's an interesting way to put it." Shay snorted.

They stayed there for a while longer, with the two friends continuing their conversation from before while Tia stretched herself out over the barrels, resting her head on her arms. She watched the other crew members in the room as they ate. A few of them were playing games, some were talking (more like shouting) and others were still stuffing food into their mouths like there was no tomorrow. There were a few men who would glance her way every now and then, curious of the new passenger with otherworldly hair, but none dared to walk over and she guessed it had something to do with the two men standing beside her.

After another half hour of observing the crew in their downtime and she began to feel sleepy. She was on the very brink of falling asleep when she felt a large hand shaking her shoulder, waking her up. Her tired eyes opened to glare at the culprit.

"Come now, Chachi. You can't fall asleep here," Liam said. "Up you get."

She complied easily enough and slid herself down to the ground with a yawn. "Where's Shay?" She asked, noticing the young man was missing.

"He's gone ahead."

She nodded and followed him to where they'd be sleeping for the night. Just as he explained, Shay was already there when they arrived, busying himself with setting up a makeshift bed on the floor. Two hammocks hung next to it, and a wall was on the other side, closing them in. He suggested she take the upper hammock, while he and Liam would alternate between the lower hammock and the bed.

"Do you want your coat back?" She asked Liam, silently hoping he would say no. It was freezing cold—something her body wasn't accustomed to—and she doubted she would be able to sleep without this extra layer of warmth on top.

He shook his head. "You keep it on for now. At least until we find you something else to wear."

She thanked him and turned around, but not before she caught the suggestive look Shay was giving his friend. She rolled her eyes and climbed up into the hammock with a minor struggle. Once she was all settled in, she sighed and nestled herself into the blanket. She closed her eyes, falling asleep to the gentle rocking of the ship and the sounds of the crew in the background.

* * *

Tia awoke the next morning with a sore back and the remnants of a headache. She tried to fall asleep again, but the dull ache was enough to keep her from doing so. Reluctantly opening her eyes, she almost had a heart attack when all she saw was the wooden ceiling above her head, and it took her a few moments to calm down again when she realized where she was.

The ship was significantly quieter than the night before now that the rest of the men were asleep. A few snores could be heard here and there, including one that was coming from right under her. She didn't know what time it was, but she was wide awake now and had no hope of falling back to sleep.

 _I need to get up and stretch out my back, man. Sleeping in hammocks aren't as fun as I thought they'd be…_

She peeked her head over the side, wondering how she was going to get down without waking up the others. Turns out, Liam was the one snoring in the hammock below hers, with one of his legs dangling off the side and his arms resting atop his stomach as he snored away. Shay had taken the floor beside them and was lying on his back with his hands folder under his head, a thick blanket covering his lower half.

She debated waiting on them to wake up, but the need for some fresh air was too strong and so she prepared herself to get out. It was the matter of accidentally hitting one of them in the guts or face on the way down that concerned her. She had no choice but to jump and hope it would get her further than Shay's slumbering form.

Taking hold of the wall behind her, she steeled herself and jumped. Just as she did so, the edge of the hammock curled up with the lessened weight and caught on the tip of her shoe, making her flop straight down on _top_ of the sleeping man instead of _next_ to him like she'd hoped.

She heard a grunt and suddenly she was pinned beneath him with his forearm pushing down on her neck. She squirmed under his weight and delivered a few good whacks to his shoulder before he realized it was just her and released the pressure on her throat.

"Lass, what the _devil_ are you doing?" He whispered incredulously as she gasped for air. He got off of her and sit her up.

Watery eyed from being choked, she coughed into the back of her hand and rubbed at her sore neck. That definitely didn't help with the headache. "I w-was trying to get out of here without waking you two up, so I thought I'd try jumping over you."

"Well, that obviously didn't go to plan." Shay began quietly, scratching at his head. "You probably would've woken me up anyway."

"Sorry," she apologized sheepishly, her voice a quiet whisper. "At least _one_ of you is still asleep." She pointed out, motioning towards the man who was still snoring away in his hammock. Shay just stared at her. Embarrassment setting in, she scrambled onto her feet and gestured for him to lie down again. "Don't mind me, I'm just gonna go ahead and disappear now."

"Where are you going?"

"Out." She told him, tip-toeing away before he could ask anything else.

When she finally stepped outside, she was greeted with the icy chill of the North Atlantic morning, and she shivered under the long jacket she wore. She felt a tad guilty knowing that Liam wouldn't have anything else to wear, but he insisted. She decided she'll offer it back to him again when he wakes up.

 _Wow, it's gotta be no later than six,_ she thought as she stretched her arms high above her head, groaning when her back released a few satisfactory cracks. She spotted a handful of night shift sailors tending to their jobs; a couple of them looking as if they were having trouble keeping their eyes open. She felt sort of sorry for them—night watch must be so long and boring without the rest of their mates around.

She kept herself occupied for a moment longer before she turned around to find Chevalier standing at the wheel, motioning for her to come over. Walking up the steps towards the quarterdeck, she joined him at the wheel.

"Chachi," he greeted with a small nod. "Awake early, I see."

"Again, I could say the same for you." She said, smiling as she pulled up the hood of her coat to block the chilly winds from whipping her hair around.

"Indeed. A captain must awaken before the rest of his crew."

She tried to imagine herself dealing with that scenario every day and instantly grimaced at the thought. "That must suck so bad, man…"

He made a face at her choice of vocabulary. "You have such an unusual way of speaking. It's rather… unladylike."

She shrugged, not really knowing how to respond to his statement. In times like this, it was probably true; where women most likely spoke with more grace and considerably less slang. Having a best friend like Mark did that to you. Even so, a lot of girls from her time still talked that way, even _without_ boys around to influence them. Ah, how times have changed…

"Your crew seem fine to me," she commented offhandedly after a moment.

"Yes, I do try to keep them in line," he exclaimed proudly with a note of cockiness in his tone. "Troublemakers are not tolerated on board my ship."

"Apart from ' _cabbage farmer'_ , you mean?"

Chevalier released a sharp, derisive chuckle and shook his head. "That silly man is not a part of my crew."

"Wait, what?" She tilted her head in confusion. "If he's not a part of your crew, then who—?"

"I see you're unable to resist me even without my presence."

" _Ah!_ " She squeaked in fright at the deep voice that spoke right beside her ear, and she jumped away, narrowly avoiding a collision with the occupied Frenchman. She spun around to glare at Shay, waving her hands around in exaggeration. "Can you not?"

He simply continued to bait her, an unmistakable smirk curling at his lips. "I'm flattered, lass, truly."

Chevalier dropped a hand from the wheel so he could look at Shay. "What are you talking about, boy?"

She could've sworn she saw a mischievous glint flashing in Shay's eyes as he answered the captain. "Oh, you see," he started all too happily, "I had a bit of a rude awakening just now, Chevalier."

Tia's face dropped the instant she realized where he was going with this. "Don't!" She cried as she reached out to cover his mouth with her hands.

He caught her wrists and held them away from him as he continued, "I woke up and she was _on top_ _of me._ "

"I see," Chevalier noted, his curious voice doing nothing to hide the judgemental look on his face as he gave her another once-over, almost as if to re-evaluate her sanity.

She shoved the laughing Irishman away with an annoyed huff. The last thing she wanted was for the older man to think ill of her—especially if it was because of someone like Shay. "That's not true!" She denied, crossing her arms.

"I think it is."

"Shut up." She fumed, throwing him a glare. She turned her back to him and faced Chevalier. "I was trying to get out of bed without waking him or Liam, but my foot got caught in the hammock and I fell onto him by mistake."

He snorted at her explanation, but said nothing else as he turned to focus on steering the ship again. She could hear Shay's quiet cackles off to the side somewhere and she bit her cheek to keep herself from giving him a piece of her mind.

"So, what's the plan for today, sir?" She inquired, watching as the newly awoken sailors began to pile out from the hatch, yawning loudly and talking to each other in their loud voices. Liam came out last, clapping the man he was talking to on the back before joining Shay. She thought she could hear him asking what was so funny and she immediately zoned them out.

"Just another day of sailing to our next destination." He answered simply before barking out orders to the crew.

"Ah." She nodded. "So, how'd you become a sailor?"

He looked her then, an expression of vague surprise on his face. Realizing that she was being serious, however, he nodded and delved into the tale of how he came to be the great sailor he was today. They stood there for almost an hour as he recounted the story of his youth, pausing every now and then to give some more orders to the crew. By the time he finished, the sun had fully risen into the sky and he looked significantly more peaceful than he did when he first started; a distant look in his eyes as he reminisced over the old memories.

"Nice! That's a pretty interesting life you've lived so far." She acknowledged, trying to picture a young Chevalier sailing around with his father. "Where I'm from, you rarely hear stuff like that."

"Is that so?" He began, sounding confused and mildly suspicious. "Is Spain not home to one of the largest ports known to man? Surely there are _plenty_ of sailors with awe-worthy tales to share."

 _Shit._

She quickly racked her brain for a reply. "U-uh, I never really got out of the house much. My parents always kept me inside in fear that I may wander off." A nervous laugh escaped her lips. "Curiosity kills the cat, y'know?"

He hummed in agreement, letting his gaze linger on her for a moment. She exhaled a quiet sigh of relief when he turned to the front again, thankful that he wasn't going to ask anymore questions.

The rest of the morning went by with the pair standing there in comfortable silence—Tia more so because it meant she couldn't mess up with her mouth being kept shut. The air was still cold even as the sun was beginning to reach it's peak in the sky and she began to fiddle around, becoming bored with standing around this whole time. Not only that, but her stomach was beginning to grumble and she realized she hadn't eaten yet.

She glanced behind her, only to find that neither Liam nor Shay were there anymore, and she frowned. _Where'd they go off to?_

Scanning the deck for any sign of the two men, she was sorely disappointed when she couldn't find any. She left Chevalier at the helm to walk around, keeping an eye out for the pair, but she soon gave up when she realized they must be busy working or something. She went about to watch the crew instead, fascinated by the activities they were busying themselves with. A few of them bumped into her, not realizing that she was there, and they would mutter an apology before moving on. Some of them weren't so nice, however, and they all but pushed her out of their way, not liking that she was just standing around. In that case, she'd just walk away and leave them to it, moving on to watch the next sailor go about his day.

It wasn't long before one approached her. "May I be so bold as to ask for your name, miss?"

He was a tall young man, looking to be around his early to mid-twenties as he stood there, a wide, friendly grin on his face. His dark blonde hair was tied back into a short ponytail, a few of the golden strands coming to hang in front of his face. His eyes were a pretty hazel colour and they contrasted nicely with his tanned, olive skin. His clothes looked like they had been thrown on in the fastest way possible, with only a couple of his shirt buttons done up and the hem half-tucked into his grey breeches.

"Oh, hey! You can just call me Ti—," she paused, correcting her mistake before he noticed, "Chachi! Nice to meet you."

Thankfully, the young man didn't seem to pick up on anything weird as he continued to grin. "Well then, 'tis a pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss Chachi! Matthew, deckhand and occasional helper in the kitchen, at your service."

She stuck her hand out, feeling it was necessary to complete their greeting. He stared at it in surprise, not expecting a lady to offer her hand to him—and for a handshake, no less. At his unsure look, she smiled up at him encouragingly. "Come on, don't leave me hanging…"

He slowly reached out and grasped her hand in a tender hold, almost as if he was afraid to dirty her soft hand with his own larger, calloused one. She brushed it off and tightened her grip, forcing the handshake to be firmer. When she let go, his grin widened, stretching across his face in amusement.

"Well, would ya look at this, boys!" A red-headed man with a goatee and a navy blue bandana tied around his neck approached the two, slapping Matthew on the back with a hearty laugh. "The little miss has a manlier grip than Matty over here!"

"Aye. Gave me a shock, it did." Matthew admitted with a laugh, scratching at his neck in mild embarrassment. A few guffaws could be heard from the other sailors.

Tia stood there awkwardly as multiple pairs of eyes began to look her way, once again interested in the new stranger onboard. She felt her confidence starting to slip. It was alright when it was just one or two of them paying attention to her, but when she was literally the centre of attention, she couldn't help but to shrink into Liam's coat a bit.

The red-head spoke up again. "I don't s'pose I could get one of them handshakes too now?"

"S-sure," she stammered, offering her hand out for the second time.

"No need to go all shy on us now, little lass. I don't bite." He chuckled and gripped her hand in a sure grasp, giving it a firm shake. "The name's Ian."

"Chachi."

"So, what's got you on board the ship then, Chacha?" He asked, and she smiled, amused by his mistake. "Are you a relative of the captain's?"

"Nah, I'm not related to him at all." She replied, slowly becoming more comfortable. "How'd you get that? I don't even look like him."

"Ah, that's just me assumin' things 'cause your names sound the bloody same." He laughed. "Honest mistake."

She nodded. "I actually just met him yesterday when he saved me from a group of soldiers…"

A few eyebrows were raised, while others simply nodded in acknowledgement at the retelling of their captain's heroic act. Tia only just noticed how big a group had formed, nearly half the crew on their side of the ship coming to crowd around the three of them, listening in to the conversation. It was quite funny actually—a group of men gathering around to gossip.

"What's going on over here?"

Everyone turned their heads towards the voice. Liam weaved his way through the group of curious sailors to see what the commotion was about. He didn't seem too surprised when he spotted her standing in the centre. He came over to her and rest a hand on her shoulder, almost in a protective manner.

"I was just explaining how I got here." Tia said, gazing up at him. "They're really nice." She added.

He released a sigh and shook his head, looking around to the surrounding crew members. "Well, hurry up then. The ship isn't going to sail itself. I'm sure you don't want the captain himself coming down here."

At the mention of their captain, they quickly dispersed, none of them willing to face the wrath of the Frenchman. Meanwhile, Liam led Tia down below to the mess deck, where Shay was waiting for them. In his hands were a pile of clothes.

"What are those?" She asked in a deepened voice, mimicking the modern day joke. She laughed into her hand while the two men looked on in confusion. She coughed, recovering herself. "So?"

"These are for you, lass." Shay revealed, handing them over to her. "They were the best we could find for the moment, but at least you will be warmer and Liam can have his coat back."

She thanked them as he guided her behind a makeshift cover that he had set up while Liam came out to retrieve her. The cover was made up of several crates stacked one on top of the other, leaving a tiny gap for her to slip through. She shimmied in and covered the gap with the 'curtain'. Removing Liam's big coat first, she hung it over the crates so he could take it back.

Her new clothes were pretty nice, she noticed, holding up the pair of dark gray breeches. Slipping into them, she was surprised to find that they actually fit her pretty well and weren't falling down at all.

 _Should I be worried about that?_

She tugged the long-sleeved white shirt over her head and tightened the laces near the neckline to hid her skin. Women were modest here right? Not that she wasn't, but still—she was on a ship full of men. After that came a thick, dark blue coat. It was the only thing that didn't fit her as well as the other articles of clothing, the sleeves sagging past her fingers as she pulled it on. She wasn't complaining though. At least it was warmer now. She decided to leave her shoes on, even if they did look a little strange with the new clothes she had on.

Folding up her old clothes, she wondered where to put them. She figured she couldn't just leave them in here since they would most likely be found by another sailor, and because it was an all-for-all kind of space down here, she'd probably never see them again. Though, she was having a hard time imagining any of those men wearing a crop top. Maybe she could ask Chevalier to keep hold of them in the captain's cabin? With that thought in mind, she stepped out.

"Better?" Liam asked, leaning against a nearby barrel, his coat back around his form.

"Yeah," she said, grateful. "I gotta admit though, I _am_ kinda sad there's no hood on this."

Liam chuckled good naturedly as Shay let out a snort from the hammock he'd situated himself in. He swung his legs over the side, using the momentum to bring himself upright, and gave her a once-over. "You don't need the hood."

Not knowing whether to take that as a compliment or an insult, she shifted her gaze to the floor. _Gee, thanks…_

Liam straightened himself up."Come on, then. Chevalier has a task prepared for you."

She nodded and followed after him, curious. What task could the French captain possibly have for her?

* * *

 **A/N: Aaaand there we have it, the fourth chapter is done! :) I'd like to say thank you for the new follows, favourites and reviews. It really makes me happy to know that my story is actually interesting to someone other than myself. XD A special shout out to my friend on tumblr, Sammy, for helping me beta this chapter! Thanks girl! ;)**

 **And thank you to** _ **Ega9987**_ **for telling me that I had a realistic depiction of the characters! I'm always trying my hardest to make sure there isn't too much OOC-ness. The last thing I want is to completely butcher their personalities. Anyways, as always, R &R! Please and thank you :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter Five**

Tia gently ran the back of her arm across her forehead, wiping away the sweat from her activities onto her sleeve. She sighed and leaned her weight onto the mop she was given, trying to assess how much she had left to do. Turns out, Chevalier's ' _task'_ for her was to scrub the deck clean. He had said that it wasn't possible for her to sit around all day doing nothing—which had honestly started to get on her nerves—so he opted for her to swab the deck. It was one of the easiest jobs on board apparently. She begrudgingly agreed. She hated cleaning, but she liked clean things. Logic. After asking that he keep her clothes safe for her, she got to work.

What she didn't understand was why Liam and Shay didn't have to do anything. Chevalier had mentioned before that Shay wasn't a part of his crew, so she could only assume the same for Liam as well. If they weren't crew members, then what were they? Friends? She immediately crossed that thought out. Maybe Liam could be friend material for the older man, but certainly not Shay. Those two were like ticking time bombs around each other, that much was easy to see. Colleagues, then? That seemed to make more sense than the first one. It would explain why Liam and Shay were excused from any duties. Or were they? She didn't know.

"Hey…"

"Lass."

"Chachi!"

Her eye twitched in irritation as the voice called out to her for the sixth time. She slowly turned her head up to glare at the culprit, gritting her teeth as she asked, "What do you _want_?"

Shay was sitting on one of the lower levels of the main mast, directly above where she stood. He had decided that, when Chevalier got one of his men to hand her a mop and bucket, he would be her supervisor. Her very _annoying_ supervisor.

He pointed down to a spot to her right, an innocent smile curling at his lips. "You missed another spot."

She sighed and dragged the mop over the place he was pointing to. "Do you not have anything better to do?" She asked.

"Not really. Besides, I'm simply helping a lady with her duties." He stated with a smirk, knowing full well how irritating he was being.

She didn't reply to him. Keeping her mouth shut in this situation would probably do her much better than if she chose to lose her shit and hurl the bucket at him—no matter _how_ funny it would be to watch him fall from where he was perched. _Where is Liam when you need him? Seems he's the only one this idiot actually listens to around here..._

"Are you ignoring me again?" He asked. After a small silence in which she refused to answer him, he continued. "Of _course_ you're ignoring me again."

Tia's grip on the mop tightened. "Swear to god, dude. We only met yesterday and I can _honestly_ say I have never felt the urge to slap someone so hard so quickly before."

"Can you climb?" He inquired after another pause, surprising her with the sudden change of topic.

She looked up at him in confusion. "What?"

"Can you climb, lass?" He repeated, a thoughtful expression on his face. What was he getting at here?

"What has this even got to do with anything?"

"I'm trying to figure out how safe I am by being up here." He revealed with a chuckle.

"It doesn't matter because you will have to come down from there eventually…"

He nodded and seemed to contemplate something else. "How good are you at running?"

" _Oh my god._ " She rolled her eyes and went back to swabbing the deck. She was almost finished with this section anyway and then all she had left to do was the area near the wheel. At least then Shay would most likely stay away. The thought made her double her efforts. She didn't even spare the young Irishman a glance as she picked up the bucket and scurried over to Chevalier.

"How is the task I assigned coming along?" He asked when she dropped the bucket a few feet from where he stood.

"Almost finished. Just this part left and I'm all done."

She didn't wait for a reply from him as she got right to it, dipping the mop back into the water and giving it a quick rinse. Her doubled efforts from before remained, suddenly very eager to finish up so she could do something else with her time. She wasn't quite sure what that was yet, but it kept her motivation going. _Man, this is pretty much the same as when my parents tell me to clean my room before I can go to Mark's place…_

A small frown came across her face at the thought of her parents and best friend. What were they all doing now? Did they even know she was gone yet? Her parents had only gone for a quick trip to the shops when she disappeared, so surely they would know by now. After all, it's almost been two full days now. What about Mark? Would her parents tell him about her disappearance or keep it to themselves?

She sighed, deciding to push that to the back of her mind and concentrate on the task at hand. Twenty minutes later and she had finally completed her task. She tapped Chevalier on the shoulder.

"I'm done."

"Good work." He praised her, taking a quick look at her work. "Dump the water over the side and then leave the mop and bucket over here. I will have someone else put them away."

She wiped her hands on her pants and nodded, "'Kay, then"

He spoke up before she could walk away. "I also ask that you do this task daily as a means of compensation since there is not much else you can do here. I assume you know nothing of sailing?"

"Nope." She replied, popping the 'p' at the end of the word.

"Then it is settled," he concluded.

Nodding, she made her way to the side of the ship and leaned over the rail slightly to look down below. Small waves slapped up against the side of the ship as she looked down towards the water and she gazed at it with uncertainty. That was a long way down. She took a deep breath to steady herself. She never really liked the ocean all that much, not trusting it's scary inhabitants any more than her own swimming skills.

She placed the mop down beside her and lifted the bucket, watching as the dirty water slid out of the bucket with a weird sense of satisfaction. She had made the ship that much cleaner by doing this. She could only imagine how dirty it would get after a week. Her mum would probably have had a heart attack if she saw the way these men lived. When that was done, she left the mop and bucket where Chevalier told her to leave them, and took a moment to stretch her now stiff arms and back. Maybe now she could go see if she could find those two sailors she met yesterday—Matthew and Ian.

Ian had been a rather interesting character to meet. Though, he had only said a few sentences, he already reminded her of her dad. His joking mannerisms and hearty laughter were things he and her dad shared in common. Not to mention, they kind of looked the same apart from the difference in hair colours and the goatee. Her dad may also be a little bit taller than Ian, but that was about it.

She hopped down the steps, wondering where they could be. Before she went any further, she glanced up to the main mast and, surely enough, Shay was still sitting there, his dark eyes gazing out to the ocean with a distant look on his face. _I wonder what's bothering him..._ She shook her head and continued her search for a young man with blond hair or a middle aged man with red hair. Her eyes ran over several faces before she finally spotted Matthew sitting on a wooden crate, some old ropes sitting in his hands.

She grinned and skipped over to him. "Hey!"

The young man's eyes darted up in surprise. "Oh! Miss Chachi." He gave her a sheepish grin.. "Nearly gave me a fright, you did. Thought you was another sailor until I saw your hair..."

"Yeah, Liam and Shay found these clothes for me." She laughed, playing with the hem of her new shirt. "What are you doing?"

"I'm practicing my sailing knots. Ian says I need to improve on my skills with a rope if I want to be a better sailor." He told her, returning his eyes to the ropes in his hands. There was a few other ropes on the floor beside his crate, all tied up in fancy looking knots.

"Are you not already a good sailor? I mean, to be sailing on a ship like this has got to count for something, right?" She asked, sitting on the floor in front of him.

He chuckled, twisting the rope in his hands and pulling one end through a loop he had made. "I'd like to think so but Ian says there is always room for improvement, no matter how good you are at something."

She nodded in appreciation at those wise words. "You seem to look up to him a lot - Ian, I mean."

"Aye. I do look up to him a lot." He stuck his tongue out in concentration, making Tia giggle at the way his speech sounded. "He's like a father to me, he is. Ever since I was recruited for the crew of the Gerfaut."

Tia's mind tingled at the familiar name. Where had she heard that before? She brushed it off and smiled when Ian held the finished knot in the air.

"Ah-hah!" He lowered it in front of her to give her a closer look. "Now, this is what you call a Spanish bowline."

"That's funny. I'm Spanish too." She claimed, pointing to herself in amusement.

"What a coincidence, then." He laughed, placing his finished work on the floor beside his other ones. He leaned forward. "Say, how's about I teach you how to tie this knot then?"

She nodded, scooting closer to him when he handed a long rope for her to practice with. They sat like that for a while, Matthew merely demonstrating and explaining with his own rope before getting her to give it a try. Her first few tries of the knot simply ended up in a complete mess of tangles, coaxing laughter from the young man. He kept encouraging her though, pushing her to keep trying until eventually she had the perfect Spanish bowline in her hands.

"See?" He gestured to the work in her hands. "It's not too complicated once you get the hang of it. Only took you a few tries!"

"Thanks for showing me how to do it, Matt." She tilted her head toward him. "Uh, is it okay if I just call you Matt?"

"Call me anything you like." He gave her a grin and nodded, moving to pick up his pile of ropes.

"Ah, Chacha! What are you doing back here?" Ian was striding over to them with a toothy grin on his face. "Getting Matty to teach you the ways of sailing knots, are you?"

She nodded and presented her knot for him to see before handing it over to Matthew. "Sure am. He showed me how to do this fancy piece."

"Oh, very nice!" He said, taking a look at her work. "Shows that Matty here has mastered this knot if he's teaching someone else to do it."

"Yeah. He's a pretty good teacher."

"Now, I hate to do this," he began, putting a hand over Matthew's shoulder, "-but I'm afraid this young sailor has other duties to attend to as of now. How about we come get ya when it's time for supper? Introduce you to the others."

"Yeah, sounds great!" She nodded eagerly, standing up and dusting herself off. They waved to her as they went off in the other direction. She sighed contently, walking to the rail and leaning on it.

The sun was slowly beginning to go down, signalling that the end of her second day was near. Right now, she should have been at home getting ready to help her mum prepare dinner and yet, here she was - sailing across the North Atlantic on some random ship with a bunch of strangers. Not to mention, she had somehow time travelled back in the past. If only she could see her parents reactions to learning of their daughter's newest adventure. Surely, they'd be shocked to see her on a _ship_ of all things. She didn't even need to see Mark to know how he would react.

' _He'd probably get all butthurt that I didn't invite him. He totally would have been the greatest help when dealing with someone like Shay too.'_ She thought with a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She missed him already.

"Man, I wish I had my phone on me…" She murmured, fiddling with her fingers in boredom.

"What's a phone?" Liam's voice popped up beside her. He folded his arms and leaned his back to the rail, tilting his head to look at her.

"O-oh, Liam!" She squeaked in surprise. "A phone is uh… just another word for a diary. Yes."

He nodded carefully, staring into her eyes with mild suspicion. She broke the eye contact and gazed out to the water, trying to shake off her nerves. Once again, another moment where she has been put into an awkward situation because of her true origins. She hadn't thought anyone was near her when she'd said that. Obviously, that wasn't the case because Liam had just heard heard her. Either way she wasn't sure anyone here would take too well to her claiming a phone is an invention from the future.

"How was the remainder of your day?" He asked after a while, changing the subject much to her relief.

"Apart from your friend annoying the hell out of me while I mopped, I'd say it was pretty good. Matt taught me how to tie this cool knot."

Liam raised a curious brow. "Matt?"

She nodded. "Matthew. One of the sailors I was with earlier when you got me? The blond one with a ponytail?"

"Oh, him." He remembered, scratching at his chin. "I'm still trying to remember the crew. It's not often that I sail with Chevalier."

She wanted to ask him more about that but she kept her mouth closed. It was none of her business anyway. If it was of any importance to her, she will find out eventually. However, she doubted that would happen since they would most likely leave her at the next port.

"Come on. Let's head down. The food should almost be ready."

She followed him down to the mess deck, going over to the same barrels they had occupied the night before. It seems Shay had ditched his spot on the mast to come sit on the barrels down here. She pulled herself up onto the same barrel from last night and crossed her legs.

"Had fun making friends and tying ropes, lass?" Shay asked, not turning his head to look at her but instead nodding to Liam as he took a spot next to him.

"Yeah, it was quite - wait… You were watching me?" She asked, a little bit weirded out.

"I was serious when I said I'd be your supervisor."

"What?" She scoffed in mild offense. "I'm seventeen. I don't need some babysitter."

"A supervisor and a babysitter aren't the same thing." He stated, finally looking her way with a smirk. "Unless you want them to be."

She scowled at the cheeky grin that made its appearance for the nth time today. She so badly wanted to reach over and whack it off his face but she didn't think Liam would approve of the action. Before she could say anything, a few bells went off and sailors from above started to fill the room, eager to get their feed after a long day. She simply resorted to flipping him off which caused him to break out into a loud laugh.

"I'll go grab our food again." Liam said, moving away from their bickering. "I'll be back."

When he was a good enough distance away she took the chance to lean closer to Shay and whack him up the back of the head. A satisfying smacking sound was heard and she couldn't help but laugh evilly when he blinked in shock.

"Hey!" He cried out, rubbing the area she had hit with a small frown growing on his face.

"Oh don't give me that look. That was payback for earlier today." She remarked, turning away from him and crossing her arms.

Liam returned not two minutes later with their food and drinks only to see the two frowning and ignoring each other. He shook his head, knowing what must have happened while he was absent. It was like Shay and Chevalier all over again with these two, though not as extreme.

"Thanks Liam." Tia said when he handed her a plate of food. She then took the cup with a skeptical eye. "Is this what I think it is?"

Liam shook his head. "It's just water this time."

She took a sip, confirming his words as the truth. The water tasted a little bit funny but who was she to complain? She munched away on some vegetables, relishing in the taste. Come to think of it, she really hadn't eaten much these past couple of days. Her breakfast before she appeared here and then some cheese last night. It wasn't much. She just didn't feel all that hungry at the moment and that was strange for her considering she was hungry all the time back home. Maybe it was a side effect of time travel?

"Oi Chacha!"

She perked up when she heard Ian's voice calling out to her from across the room. Some other people had stopped to see what was happening, Liam and Shay included. They looked between her and the red-headed man who was sitting at a table at the far end, opposite to them. Matthew and a few others were with him.

"Yeah?" She called back in a loud voice so he could hear her.

"Come on over here and eat with us! I got some friends I'd like you to meet."

She was about to jump off her barrel and go over when Liam's hand came over her shoulder. "Call me over if there's any trouble."

"I'll be fine." She assured him, accepting his offer to help her down. She grabbed her plate and cup, giving Liam one last nod. "Ian and Matt are really nice."

"Go on then." He gently pushed her towards them. "Come back when you're ready to retire. Shay and I will be here."

At the mention of the young Irishman, she gave him one last glance. He was chewing away at his food as he watched her leave, a slightly grumpy expression on his face. She rolled her eyes, making sure that he saw before making her way over to Ian and Matt's table.

"Saved a spot for you, lass." Ian gestured for her to sit between him and Matt, who smiled at her in greeting.

"Thanks." She squeezed in between them, putting her food and water in front of her.

"The young lad over there don't look too happy with you. What was his name again? Shane?" Ian asked, scratching his head.

She almost laughed. She gathered that he wasn't very good with names - that or he just didn't bother trying. She played along. "Yeah, well I'm not happy with Shane either."

"Well give us a shout if you need me to sort him out for ya." He declared,punching his fist into his palm.

She laughed. "Thanks but no thanks. I can manage. Besides, he already has Liam for that."

"Alright then. I can appreciate you wanting to fight your own battles." He clapped her on the back making her cough a little. "Now, enough of that! Let me introduce you!"

She sat there, listening to Ian as he introduced about eight or nine people to her. She knew she wouldn't remember any of their names by the time he reached the third person but she kept listening anyway. Ian was simply too interesting to ignore, and Matt's small comments in between made it all the better.

"So, lass," one sailor - Tom, she thinks - continued, "Matty tells us you were rescued by our very own captain. What happened?"

"Well, I uh…" She shrunk a little, wanting to hide from their curiosity. "I accidentally hit some soldier with my broomstick. He got mad and then so did his buddies. Next thing I know, I'm being chased."

"That doesn't explain how you ran into the captain." Another sailor said, taking a few gulps from his mug. His name was Ben. Or maybe not. It was at this moment that she kind of understood why Ian was so bad with names. He probably gave her the wrong names to begin with.

"Oh. They ended up catching me because I ran into Liam and knocked us both over." She smiled sheepishly at the memory. "Chevalier took me away from them before they could do anything, though."

"Lucky he found you when he did then. This was back in Fort Baie Rouge, right?"

"Yeah, I think so."

They all seemed to stop for a moment before Matt spoke up, confusion in his tone, "Now how did a young lady such as yourself get _there_ of all places?"

"I… I don't really know." She responded unsurely, her knees starting to bounce in nervousness. "I just _did_. It was really strange."

"Aye. Sounds very strange indeed." Ian murmured.

They sat there in silence for a moment, all of them contemplating over what Tia said. It was very odd for a woman, let alone a young girl like herself, to be in a fort like that for no reason. Meanwhile, Tia was on the verge of having a small panic attack. It was only the second day and it was getting harder and harder to hide the truth from all these people. They just wouldn't stop asking _questions_ and it was starting to get to her. It was the way they would look at her in suspicion like they knew something wasn't right - like they knew she wasn't from here. It was unnerving.

"Well, it's been nice but I'm very tired and I'd like to sleep now." She stood up, getting out of her chair. She was about to grab her dishes but Matt took them for her. "Thanks."

Ian looked up her with an almost disappointed look. "You sure you can't stay a little longer, Chacha?"

She shook her head, offering him a small smile. "Sorry Ian. I'll be sure to come sit here another time, okay?"

He nodded and they all waved their goodbyes as she shuffled her way back over to Liam and Shay. They both seemed to be standing there quietly, watching her as she made her way to them - Liam with a nod, Shay with a blank face.

"Ready for bed?" Liam asked as she stood in front of them.

"Yup."

The young Irishman led the way back to their sleeping spots, standing out of the way so Tia could climb up into her hammock. Once she was comfortable, she leaned her head over the side to look at the other two. Liam was already laying in his hammock, looking back at her with a questioning look on his face. Shay simply excused himself and went off somewhere looking rather distant. After he walked off, she exchanged looks with Liam, who looked like he wasn't going to tell her anything.

"It wasn't me, was it?" She asked, suddenly feeling a tad guilty.

He shook his head. "No. Shay just has some things on his mind, that's all."

"Okay." She bit her lip and lay back in her hammock. She didn't know why she felt partially responsible for Shay's sudden need to be somewhere else. Surely it wasn't because she hit him earlier, right? She immediately crossed that thought out. There was no way he was _that_ immature. She hoped. She coughed and spoke up again. "He was fine before, I swear..."

He sighed. "Trust me, Chachi. If Shay was annoyed with you, you would know about it."

"Alright, well..." she finally conceded. "Goodnight, Liam."

She didn't hear a reply as she shifted to get into a more comfortable sleeping position. It wasn't long before sleep welcomed her.

* * *

 _Lights surrounded her as she ran. It was like a thousand fireflies surrounding her all at once yet they didn't get in her way, only parted so she could get through. She didn't know how long she ran for or how long she had to keep going. There was no clear destination in her mind, she only knew that she needed to keep moving or something would happen - something bad. She could feel it whenever she tried slowing down. It was like a small biting sensation at the back of her feet. She felt as if an overwhelming tiredness floating across her mind, like it was trying to take over. She needed to get out of here._

 _It was at that moment that she saw a door in the distance. She immediately sped up as much as she could, the fireflies around her seeming to form a path for her. When she reached the door, she quickly slid inside and slammed it shut, staring at the door knob in fear. Whatever that bad feeling was, it was standing on the other side of this door - waiting. Waiting for her to make a wrong move._

 _She slowly backed away, keeping her eyes on the door just in case. It wasn't until something hit the back of her knees that she glanced around. It was her bedroom, she realized, but it all felt wrong. Everything was dimmed, as if all the colours were taken out of everything and all that was left was a black and white hue._

" _It is a bit early to see you here."_

 _Her eyes darted around the room trying to find the source of the voice but there was nothing. It was only her in the room._

" _W-who are you? Why can't I see you?" She stammered, crawling into her bed and pushing herself back up to the headboard. She pulled her knees into her chest, feeling somewhat safer after she did so._

" _In due time, Tia. All answers will be revealed. As for now, we do not have much time." The voice answered her, sounding slightly closer than before._

" _Why should I trust you?"_

" _You do not have to trust me. You only have to follow what is right."_

" _What is that supposed to mean?"_

" _What it means will depend on what path you choose to follow."_

 _Anger and caution suddenly pushed fear aside, annoyed by being talked to in riddles. "Then tell me what's happening! Why am I here? What was that_ thing _?"_

" _I cannot entirely say. Only that it will bring you and many others great pain if you do not follow the correct path." It paused for a bit, seeming to give her time to let the information sink in. "For many years, you have been lost - lost in both time and in purpose. However, you have found the key and all will be restored soon enough."_

 _She sat there feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the new information. She felt like she understood the general idea of what the being was saying but no matter how hard she tried, nothing was clicking together. It was almost like a puzzle that had too many missing pieces to interpret what the picture would turn out to be._

 _The door suddenly slammed open causing her to shoot off the bed and slide underneath it. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to quieten her panicked breaths. Whatever was chasing her before was in here with her. She could feel it. She slowly opened her eyes and saw something was blocking her view. It was her work bag. She slowly pulled it towards herself, holding her breath as she did so. When she finally slid the straps over her arms, she looked towards the door. Maybe if she was quiet enough, she could get out and shut whatever it was in here._

 _She steeled herself for what she was about to do - slowly shifting her way out from under the bed. When she was out far enough, she started crawling towards the door, making sure to keep her breaths steady and quiet. She was halfway out the door when a sudden feeling of dread overcame her - it had seen her. She scrambled to stand up, quickly grabbing the door and pulling it shut. A loud thud was heard on the other side as it rammed into the door._

 _The fireflies surrounded her again as the feeling of falling took over._

" _Good luck... You will need it."_

* * *

 **A/N: In response to some reviews—** _ **yes**_ **, I will be trying to keep this at a reasonably slow pace. I don't want this story to be rushed into and then ended like it was nothing. Shay deserves better than that. XD I realize that there is quite a lot of things that don't quite make sense at the moment, but that is intentional. I want to leave you all guessing before I smack you in the face with answers basically. :')**

 **Also, this wasn't brought up but I just want to clarify that Shay will be a little… "immature" during this first section of my story as he is still technically quite young (twenty) and still has a lot of maturing and experiences to go through. I mean, come on—we all saw the way he was at the start of the game; cheeky little thing, he was. :') Anyways, as always guys, R &R! Imakemyownblog xx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter Six**

Tia jerked awake, covered in a cold sweat. Small, panicked breaths escaped her lungs as she shot up with a scream, effectively waking up the crew. They all flew out of their hammocks in alarm, hands grabbing the weapons that were tucked away on their bodies, eyes frantically darting around for the enemy. Some of the men bumped into each other, almost knocking one another out because it was so dark, the sun not yet making its appearance in the sky. Several shouts could be heard from the disgruntled sailors as they shuffled around in the dark, only able to make out things within a few paces in front of themselves.

"You chose the wrong ship of men to mess with!"

"What's 'appening?"

"Where are you, you bastard?!"

Liam and Shay were wide awake, pistols and knives drawn out in front of them. The former nodded in a silent gesture, no words needing to be exchanged as the latter took note of it and went to assess the situation. Liam's gaze travelled up to the hammock above his where the scream had come from. He could just make out the shaking body of its inhabitant.

"Are you alright, lass? What happened?" He asked, eyes scanning around her out of caution before moving closer.

A shaky sigh of relief left her when she heard it Liam's voice talking to her. She had briefly forgotten where she was for a few moments, almost believing she was back in her room at home. God knows, that would have been ten times worse considering that was where the nightmare actually took place.

"Y-yeah… I just had one hell of a nightmare." She muttered, rubbing at her eyes. "Did I wake anyone else up?"

Liam chuckled. "Only half the crew."

"Oh shit, really?" She blinked and looked around, finally able to make out the silhouettes of the rudely awaken sailors. "Oops."

Liam shook his head, stepping away from their hammocks. "I'll handle it. You get yourself back to sleep, alright?"

She thanked him before quietly snuggling back into her hammock with a sigh. She wasn't sure she could even fall back to sleep after that nightmare. Paranoia was tickling the back of her mind, worried that if she should fall asleep, that _thing_ would get her. She still had no idea what it was - not that she wanted to stick around to find out anyway. The bad feeling she got whenever it came too close was enough to send her sprinting like she had never sprinted before.

A small twinge of guilt came over her when she could hear Liam calming the crew down, telling them what had happened. They shuffled back to their beds, groaning and grumbling about being woken up. She could hear Shay asking questions as they also made their way back to their beds. He didn't sound any happier than the crew did and that thought made her curl up into a ball of embarrassment. She quieted her breaths so she could hear what they were saying.

" - you sure? She sounded like she was being murdered." Shay reckoned, his voice a bit quieter now that the rest of the crew was trying to go back to sleep.

"It was just a nightmare, Shay. You of all people should understand how it feels." Liam replied. Judging from the small silence that followed afterwards, it must be a bit of a touchy subject for the younger man.

"That's true," Shay mumbled.

Silence returned to the ship once again as the everyone resumed their slumber. Everyone except for Tia, that is. After what felt like an hour of waiting, she simply sat up again and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. She was tired but sleep just wouldn't come back to her. A small lightbulb popped up in her head. _Unless…_

She leaned over the side of the hammock, squinting down at the two below her. She could already hear Liam's light snores so he was scratched off the list for her idea. Shay seemed to be awake still, tossing and turning on the floor. She hesitated, wondering if this was really a good idea before softly calling out to him.

"Shay? Are you awake?"

His figure paused mid-turn at the sound of her voice. He moved again, seeming to be laying on his back now. "I am, lass."

"Can… Can I come down there with you? Please?" She whispered. She almost thought Shay hadn't heard her and was about to ask again when he answered with a small hum. Taking that as a yes, she hopped down as quietly as she could. When she stood next to him, she fiddled with her coat, suddenly regretting her decision. "Um."

Shay groaned, resting his arm over his face. "Just lay down, lass."

She didn't need to be told twice as she quickly moved to lay beside him. Does being a metre away count as being beside someone? She rolled onto her side, facing away from him. She had only known this guy for less than three days and she's already asking to sleep next to him. What was she thinking?

"You can come closer, lass. I won't bite."

She blinked. Scratch that - what was _he_ thinking? Wasn't it the times where if you did anything remotely close to this with the opposite gender, it would be considered impolite? What was he doing letting her come down here like this? There was a sigh from him before she felt herself being pulled backwards by an arm. Now they were just a breadth away from each other, she could practically feel the warmth radiating off of his body. He removed his arm and got comfortable on his back again. Her heart was racing by now, not used to being so close to another guy apart from her dad or her best friend.

She turned her head and glanced his way from the corner of her eye, "Why did you-?"

He put a hand on her face, effectively shutting her up. "Trying to sleep. Shh."

Pushing his hand away, she lay back down. Her eyes began to feel heavier and heavier until she eventually fell asleep to the sound of Shay's rhythmic breathing.

* * *

"Chachi?"

Tia groaned, her mind still fuzzy from slumber. She snuggled further into her pillow. "No."

"Yes, lass. Can you let go of me now?"

Tia's eyes shot open when she heard the familiar Irish accent that was laced with sleep. Turns out her 'pillow' was actually the young Irishman. Throughout the rest of night, she had somehow snuggled right up into the crook of his neck, using his shoulder as a pillow while one of her legs had made itself comfortable over his own. She scrambled up faster than a dog would for food, awkwardly moving away from him.

"Sorry… How long have you been up for?"

"No harm done, it was only a few minutes." He chuckled, sitting up to stretch. "I would have let you sleep longer if it weren't for the loss of feeling in my legs."

She rubbed at her arms, giving him a sheepish smile in return. She looked around, noticing that the rest of the crew was absent. "Thanks by the way… for letting me sleep next to you, I mean."

"It's alright. I know how it feels to lose sleep over nightmares. Being close to someone helps." She wanted to ask him about that but she brushed it off when he stood up with a grin. "Besides, now I don't have to lie to Chevalier about you being on top of me."

"Really?" She deadpanned, completely unamused as he walked off laughing to himself. Any gratitude she felt towards him vanished in an instant. She simply shook her head and went to crawl back into her hammock. That was the first and last time she would ever do something like that again.

As she gripped the side of the hammock, her hand brushed against something leathery. She frowned in confusion and grasped it so she could lift it in the air. Her eyes widened upon seeing her work bag in her hands. She immediately glanced around herself, double-checking to see if Shay was around. Coming to the conclusion that he was gone, she pulled herself up into her hammock and gazed at the bag with uncertainty. _I have officially lost my mind._

She pulled the zipper back and took a peek inside. Surprised by how much it actually had in there, she began pulling the items out - her phone, earphones, some pairs of underwear, a pair of high-waisted black jeggings, her favourite navy blue sweater and a white beanie. She might have been a little scared had she gotten this a few days ago but now everything was sort of blending together in its weirdness. She was about to put everything back in the bag when she saw one last thing sitting down the very bottom, camouflaging with the interior of the bag.

"Why am I not surprised to see _you_ here?" She mumbled, glaring at the little black book she had plucked out. It looked as perfect as ever, its matte cover seeming to taunt her as it sat cradled in her hand. She opened it to look inside, finally remembering why 'The Gerfaut' sounded familiar. It was mentioned in the first passage that appeared in this book. So that means, according to the book and what Matt had said, 'Gerfaut' must be the name of the ship she was currently on. At least she had that right. She flipped the page and saw that a new passage was written:

" _This book is a means of documentation and communication between you and I - the instrument you are to write with is your mind. I strongly advise that you do not misplace it for in the wrong hands it could be a dangerous weapon. As of present, you are on the correct path."_

Somehow, in the back of her mind, she knew that it was the voice from last night. What was she talking about? _Of course_ it was the voice from last night - nothing else would make sense. When she was reading the passage, it was almost like she could hear the voice reading it to her in her mind. At least she knew she was on the right track then. She was about to shut the book but something else slowly appeared below the passage - two symbols. One of them looked like kind of like those compass things she would use in maths and then the other was a fancy looking red cross. ' _Huh. I wonder what those could mean…'_

"What you got there?"

She slammed the book shut in surprise and darted her eyes to the newcomer. Shay stood next to her hammock, munching away on a small piece of dried meat. He was peeking his head over the top, trying to look at the book in her hands with curiosity sparking in his eyes.

"It's my diary." She simply answered, figuring she shouldn't tell him what it was. She didn't know if that voice could get angry but she certainly didn't want to find out.

He raised a brow at her and gestured to the things lying around her. "What about all this? I don't remember seeing you carry a bag when we met."

"It's because I'm ninja like that." She blurted, unable to think of anything else. The urge to go sit in a corner and facepalm was very tempting.

"Right," Shay said, dragging the word out. He stepped back and pat the side of her hammock, "Well, you'd better head up. Chevalier would like to see you."

She nodded and stuffed all her things back in the bag before zipping it up. When she hopped down, she saw the Irishman gazing at her bag once again, wonder joining the curiosity in his eyes.

"What?" She asked him, glancing at her bag as well, wondering what the problem was.

"Nothing." He replied, finally looking away. "I've just never seen a bag like that before. What is that?"

 _Oh shit. Zippers haven't been invented yet?_ She thought, reminding herself once again that she needed to find out what the date was. She had no clue how she was going to accomplish that without doing the obvious. In her mind, it seemed weird to ask what the year was and even if she asked for the date, they'd most likely just provide her with a day and a month. She snapped out of her thoughts when Shay started to reach for her bag.

"I'd prefer you didn't touch my stuff." She told him firmly, grabbing his arm to stop it from reaching its destination. She didn't want him coming across her things from the future.

Shay dropped his hand and bowed his head a little in apology. "Sorry, lass. I was just curious."

"It's okay." She shrugged, trying to play off her slight panic. She really needs to find a hiding spot for it, it seems. After she sees to Chevalier and does her 'chore', she could probably hunt around for one. "Well, I'd better get up there. Chevalier doesn't seem like the patient type."

A cheeky grin suddenly appeared on his face. "There isn't a patient bone in his body. You'd better hurry unless you want to face his wrath."

She shook her head, fighting off a grin at his antics towards Chevalier, and made her way up the stairs to the deck. As always, the frenchman was standing there with a firm stance and grip on the wheel, giving his men orders. She snuck up behind him and tapped him on his left shoulder before quickly ducking to the right.

"Good morning." She greeted, laughing when he fell for her trick and looked the wrong way before seeing her at his other side. "You called?"

The corners of his mouth turned upwards in slight amusement, but it went away as fast as it came. "Yes. I have a few… _questions_ that I would like to ask."

"Oh, sure. What's up?"

He brushed off her strange phrases, immediately getting down to business. "You said you were from Spain, correct?"

"Correct…" She answered slowly, immediately understanding where this conversation was likely to go—downhill.

"Then how and why are you so far away from home?"

"Uh, well you see... my parents are merchants. Business is growing and so is the list of places they have to be, so in order not to lose customers, they decided I could help them out." Her voice faltered a bit towards the end, her nervousness getting the better of her. She bit her lip and gazed down at the floor, hoping he didn't catch anything.

He didn't seem to be acting any different, simply giving her a hum of contemplation before continuing. "And what, pray tell, made them think it was a good idea to send their daughter halfway across the Atlantic ocean, on her own, to a _fort_ of all places?"

She shrugged. "I didn't want the boring places."

"What of travel? There was no other ship aside from mine docked at the time." He stated, taking note of the lack of eye contact she was providing.

"I had organized two different groups to travel with—the first one agreed to take me there and then the second group would arrive some time later in order to take me home."

"Those are some strange arrangements. Why not just keep travelling with the first one?"

He had her. He totally had her. Now he was just asking random questions, waiting for her to slip up which, if he continued, there was no doubt that she would. She couldn't even look him in the eyes as she talked. The strictness in his features was very intimidating, kind of like Gordon Ramsay in Hell's Kitchen.

"They had other stuff to do…" She murmured lamely, fiddling with a particularly interesting piece of loose fabric on her coat.

"I must say, you are not a very good liar, Chachi." He said forwardly, not missing a beat.

At this, she finally looked up. He didn't look very happy with her, a frown curling his lips downwards. In fact, she could've sworn he looked slightly pissed off and whether it was because of her lying or not, she didn't know. She didn't _want_ to know. She already knew an angry Chevalier was not to be trifled with.

"I will let this be for now but I expect you in the captain's cabin later with some _real_ answers. I will call on you. You may go."

She nodded and shuffled back down the steps towards the main deck, wishing to be out of his way as quickly as possible. She almost bumped into Liam who was making his way up, the bucket and mop she would use to swab the deck in his hands. He gave her a questioning look when she took them from him with nervous hands but she just waved him away and got started on her daily chore.

While she mopped, she started thinking about how she was going to better prepare herself for tonight. Chevalier had obviously caught all her lies and was not pleased with her at the moment so it was probably best if she just came out with the truth. There was no use tangling herself up in even more lies because what he said was right - she was not a very good liar. He caught on so quickly that she probably would have been better off telling him she was a pink elephant.

The truth would be the best way to go but she didn't know if she was ready to tell anyone anything at the moment. It was only her third day here after all and Chevalier didn't seem like the kind and patient type who would listen take to her story of how she comes from the future well. She wouldn't put it past him to maybe hold that nice looking sword of his to her neck and threaten her for 'real answers'. ' _Oh shit, what in the world am I going to do?'_

"Chachi."

"Ah!" She jumped, causing her to let go of the mop. She glared at the young Irishman who was standing behind her with a large grin on his face. "What the heck, dude? Stop that!"

"I _could_ stop but where is the fun in that?" He chuckled, bending down to pick up the fallen mop for her. "Yesterday you were missing spots and now I think you're going to mop a hole into the deck if you keep going the way you are."

She took the mop out of his hands and dipped it in the bucket to give it a quick rinse. "I was thinking. Why were you watching me again anyway?"

"I take my job as your supervisor very seriously." He informed her, teasingly walking a slow circle around her and pretending to analyse her work.

"Get in my way again and I'll whack you, I kid you not." She threatened in a light tone, not missing how he was purposely stepping in the way of her strokes.

He laughed, moving away and putting his hands up in mock defense. "Alright, I'll leave you be then."

About an hour went by and she was done, Shay coming back every now and then to "check on her progress". She scoffed at the thought, _more like annoy me some more._ She simply threatened to whack him again whenever he got particularly annoying. A few times he had moved the bucket a little when she'd gone to rinse the mop, making her miss. As revenge, she followed through on her threats and whacked him with the head of the mop, giving him a few wet splotches here and there. He took it with an amused laugh and ended up climbing up onto the mast like last time.

"How do you even climb like that? You make it look so easy." She wondered. She had watched him ascend the mast, taking note of how fluid his movements were. Once he had reached the first platform, he had pulled himself up out of pure upper arm strength, coming to sit comfortably on the edge. To say she was slightly amazed was an understatement. She could barely do the monkey bars, let alone a push up, and yet here was this guy, practically flinging himself around like it was nothing.

"It just takes some practice. Besides, I grew up doing this kind of stuff so I'm used to it." He said with a confident tilt of his chin.

"Hm. I guess it's like me and dancing then." She placed the bucket and mop off to the side and then took a seat on the floor so she could look up at Shay.

"Mm, I remember you bringing that up on the first day. What kind of dancing do you do, lass?"

She tilted her head in thought. "Mainly hip-hop since that is my favourite but I also enjoy ballet, though I'm not the best at it."

He gave her an odd look. "Hip-hop? I've never heard of that before."

She paused, a blank look on her face. Once again, she had completely forgotten to think before she says. Hip-hop probably wouldn't even exist for a few hundred years from now - she still needed to find out what year it was.

"Yeah, uh, a friend of mine invented it. Not many people know of it yet." She said, rubbing her arm awkwardly. What a dumb lie that was.

"You will have to show me this 'hip-hop' of yours one day then." He requested, giving her a smile. "I'm not one for dancing myself, but it doesn't mean I don't enjoy seeing it every now and then."

 _Sure, if I don't end up getting kicked off at next port._ She thought grimly. She really needed to go find a hiding spot for her bag so she can settle down for a while and think about her upcoming questionnaire with Chevalier. It's kind of sad considering this is the first time that she is actually having a decent conversation with the Irishman but this was important. She needed to stay on this ship, didn't she? Or her 'path' would technically be wrong according to the voice.

"I will show you only if you agree to do some of it with me." She stated, standing up and dusting herself off. "Anyways, I gotta go. Got some stuff to do."

"Alright then. I'll only dance if you agree to learn some climbing from me then. Fair trade, don't you think?"

She nodded, although a bit hesitantly. Climbing, or anything involving upper body strength, did not mix well with her. Hopefully Shay would make a mess of himself during dancing too so she wouldn't feel too bad—as horrible as that sounds. He said so himself that he wasn't one for dancing but that didn't necessarily mean he would be bad at it. In her case, however, she was bound to screw up somehow. It was too late to back out now anyway.

With a small wave to the young Irishman, she was on her way down the stairs to the mess deck. She stood at the entrance and scanned the area, looking for potential hiding spots where she could put her bag. After a few minutes of going around and searching, she found the perfect place. There was a loose plank in the floor just a few paces away from her hammock (which she wasn't sure if she should worry about or not). It was easy to lift and had just enough room for her to squeeze the bag in if she flattened it a little bit. No doubt, luck was on her side for this one.

Now, all she had left to do was think about what she was going to do tonight. A sudden wave of nerves came over her, making her want to hurl but she held it in as she climbed into her hammock and lay down. She really didn't know how to handle this situation. If she lied, he would know. If she told the truth, he would think she was a loon and kick her overboard without a second thought.

She wondered what her dad would do in this situation - he'd always been good at improvisation. He had mentioned that he used to take on a lot of acting classes when he was younger, claiming that it certainly worked in his favour when Maria was a little more than pissed at him. She had giggled at that. Her dad was so cheeky sometimes that it made her wonder how the heck he ever managed to get someone like her mum.

Maybe she should just come out with the truth to Chevalier. Her skills with lying, if you could even call it 'skills', was going to get her nowhere - it hadn't so far, so what was the point in continuing? If he thought she was crazy then so be it. She would just have to tell the voice to find another person to do the job. Why had she even been chosen anyway? Surely there was a better choice than her somewhere.

With that in mind, she gave a final nod to herself before deciding to roll over and take a little nap before shit, may or may not, hit the fan. This could be her last time to sleep in this comfortable hammock before she is either thrown into the ocean or kept in their creepy ship dungeon—if they had one, that is. She hoped Liam, or perhaps even Shay, would stand up for her if it came down to that.

* * *

 **A/N: The sixth chapter is complete, woo! I'm not as happy with it as I could be, but it'll do for now until I can be bothered editing it. It kinda had that "filler chapter" vibe anyway, before Tia gets down to business with Chevalier.** **Also, do you guys feel like I'm going too slow/fast with anything? I mean, I haven't actually gotten to the Rogue story line yet but… I don't know. XD Oh my stress, whatever. I'm always open for some tips, guys! :D**

 **As always, thanks to the new faves/follows/reviews! I appreciate the support for my story :) Next update will be soon~**

 **imakemyownblog out x**


	7. Chapter 7

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter Seven**

Tia took a deep breath, gingerly knocking on the door with a balled fist. She anxiously fiddled with the hem of her coat as she waited, switching her weight from one foot to the other. She had just sat down to eat supper when she was approached by Chevalier's first mate - a tall, brutish man who had a surprisingly soft voice - and was told that the captain would like to see her now. Liam had sent her off with a promise that he would save her food for her while Shay had a look of confusion on his face, no doubt wondering what was going on.

Chevalier let her in, his mouth set in a thin line as he strode back over to his large, oaken desk without a word of welcome. She took a few seconds to glance around the room. It was larger than she was expecting it to be, that's for sure. A few lanterns bathed the room in a soft orange glow, giving it a more inviting atmosphere than it probably would have in the day time. A bed sat off in the back corner, its covers neatly made with a few parchments sitting on top near the pillow. A bookshelf that was filled to the brim with books and a few loose papers sat just behind Chevalier, giving him the look of a man full of knowledge - if that was true, she didn't know. On the other side of the room sat a smaller table with a chest and a few weapons sitting on top of it. Other than that, it was a really spacious room. There was no doubting that she could do a full dance routine in here without hitting something.

Chevalier motioned for her to take a seat in one of the stiff looking guest chairs, but continued to stand himself so he could pace around the room. She sat there awkwardly for a few moments, watching him and wondering whether she should speak up or not. She opted to stay quiet, if only because she didn't trust her voice to be steady if she talked.

"So, Chachi..." Chevalier began. He leaned his hip on his desk and gazed at her firmly, leaving an obvious opening for her to correct him.

"It's Tia." She muttered quietly, already feeling uncomfortable under his stare. She shifted her attention to the corner of his desk, finding it much more bearable to look at than it's owner. At least for now.

"Tia?" He prompted.

"Ramirez. My real name is Tia Ramirez."

There was a slight pause as he seemed to process the name with a careful nod. "Well then, _Tia Ramirez... A_ re you even from Spain?"

"Yes…" She stopped and thought to correct herself. "Well, yes _and_ no. I was born there, but I don't live there."

"Hm. Are your parents really merchants?"

"No. Though, they do have their own business."

He grit his jaw a little, seeming to be in the process of keeping his anger in check. He obviously didn't like being lied to. "What were you _really_ doing in Fort Baie Rouge that day?"

"Uh." Here comes the hard part. "You see, I don't really know the answer to that myself. It's kind of hard to explain and… I'm not too sure you will like it."

He folded his arms and leaned his head back a little, "Out with it already."

"Well, firstly, I come from Australia. I was doing my own thing, eating some cereal." She saw the slight raise of his brow at the name but continued anyway, "My parents went out to do some shopping when I got the feeling I wasn't alone. I grabbed the closest thing to me to use as a weapon, which was a broomstick of all things, and went in there to inspect. One bright flash later and I ended up flinging the broom into some guy's face. That soldier's face, to be exact. I-I don't know how it happened exactly, but now I'm here..."

For a long while, they simply sat there - Chevalier with a blank expression while Tia had started to bounce her knees and look at anything but the Frenchman. She was about to say something when he suddenly stalked closer to her, clenching his hands on the armrests of her chair. He leaned over, so close that she swore she could see every tiny detail on the man's face. She tried to push herself further into the chair but to no avail. She was trapped.

"Do you really think that I am going to believe that pile of _merde_?" He snarled, his teeth baring slightly in a show of growing anger.

"It's true, I swear!" She whimpered, turning her face away and screwing her eyes shut.

He continued to mutter curse words in French, moving away from her a little bit. She let out a huff of air, not realizing she'd been holding it in. Chevalier could be absolutely terrifying when he wanted to be. Where was the semi-friendly man who had given her a few small smiles?

"Let's say I take your nonsense seriously… Do you have any inkling as to what may have brought you here?"

She hesitated, "Possibly?"

"What is it?"

"A book."

He straightened up and gave her a stern look. "And where is this book you speak of?" He asked, making his way around his desk to take a seat in the big chair behind it. He seemed to be contemplating something.

"It's in the mess deck. Quite literally." She told him truthfully.

"Bring it to me," He demanded with a wave of his hand. "I want to see it for myself."

She nodded and got up to leave, albeit rather reluctantly. She wasn't sure if the voice person would like her showing it to him. After all, she had been specifically told to keep it out of the 'wrong hands' as it could potentially be a dangerous weapon. She had no idea how the hell a book could be something of such but she had no place to doubt the voice's words, especially considering all that's happened already.

Opening the door to step out, she was greeted with the sight of Shay and Liam both standing outside. Shay looked like he was caught in the middle of robbing a bank while Liam looked particularly frustrated with his friend, his mouth turned into a small frown as he shifted his gaze towards her. The sound of a chair scraping on wood made her cringe and in less than two seconds, Chevalier was standing beside her looking more than a little peeved.

"Eavesdropping eh?" He sneered, turning his nose up at the young man before him. "I cannot say I am surprised. No doubt Liam was trying to save you from your immaturity before you could get caught."

"I wouldn't have to eavesdrop if you didn't keep secrets, Chevalier." An unhappy look crossed Shay's face as he looked between the two in the doorway. "What are you doing with the lass?"

The Frenchman's reaction was to laugh, giving him a condescending look as he raised a brow at him. "Are you saying you didn't catch enough of our conversation to figure that out?"

"I only just got here when she opened the door, actually." Shay admitted, looking even more displeased at the notion.

"It is none of your business anyway. Chachi, go retrieve what I have asked and return to me immediately." Chevalier said, not taking his eyes away from the young Irishman's.

She moved to get around the two but Shay put a hand on her arm, stopping her from going any further. He simply held her there while he continued to argue with the Frenchman. She glanced to Liam with a pleading look, silently asking for him to help her out. It certainly didn't seem like these two were going to stop their bickering anytime soon, in fact, it was already getting more heated. She could tell by the way the young man's grip on her was tightening with each passing second. Liam came forward and put himself in between the two, successfully shoving them away from each other with a small grunt.

"Gentlemen, stop."

Tia stumbled a little as Shay was pushed into her. He muttered a quick apology and released her arm. Chevalier had made his way forward again, stopping just before he walked into Liam's hand. He glared at the young man, who simply ignored him and continued with his peacemaking.

"Now, I have to agree with Shay on this one even if he did have rather uncalled for methods of getting his point across." He threw his friend a glance at this then turned back to the older man. "The three of us should work on this together. After all, this isn't our usual business - there shouldn't be any secrets.

The three of them shared a look, making Tia wonder what she had missed. Chevalier seemed to calm down considerably, though he still looked a bit unhappy at the idea of working with the young Irishman. Shay's mood seemed to turn in the blink of an eye, a smug smile making its appearance on his face as he crossed his arms in triumph.

"Uh. I'll just go grab the book then." She informed them, awkwardly stepping away from them all as they turned to look at her. "Be right back."

She shot off in the other direction, making her way down the stairs to the mess deck where the sailors were being loud and boisterous as usual, only a few of them sparing her a glance as she made her way past. She spotted Ian and Matt trying to call her over from their table. With a wave of her hand, she politely told them that she was busy doing business with the other three so she wouldn't be able to join them tonight. When she finally reached the hiding spot, she crouched down and glanced around, hoping no one would notice her. She really didn't want to spend more time finding another hiding spot.

When she returned to the captain's cabin, she was greeted with the sight of Chevalier scowling at the young Irishman who had perched himself on the edge of his desk and started swinging his feet around. Liam looked like he had given up on trying to make peace between the two, simply choosing to take a seat and not say anything. They looked up at her when they heard the door open. She plopped into her seat.

"How nice of you to join us again, _Tia_." Shay said pointedly, throwing her a knowing look. "I _knew_ Chachi wasn't your real name."

"I never said it was." She countered, pulling the book out of her bag and placing it on the desk for them all to see. Chevalier had obviously taken it upon himself to fill them in while she was gone. "This is it."

Shay recognised the little black book straight away, looking at it in confusion as Chevalier picked it up to inspect it. "Your diary, lass?"

"Oh? You didn't know it wasn't a diary?" She teased him, dropping her bag on the ground beside her.

This provoked a small chuckle from the Frenchman as he started flipping through the pages, briefly reading the passages before handing it over for Liam to look at. He folded his hands together and leaned his elbows on the desk, swatting Shay's hand away when he reached out to touch something. "Who is this other person you are communicating with?"

"Well, I've never actually seen them to tell you the truth. I never got their name but..." She told him, thinking back to her dream where she first encountered the voice. "I'm pretty sure they are the one who brought me here."

"Ah yes, you said you were in _Australia_ before it happened?" He remembered, gaining the attention of the other two.

"Australia?" Shay wondered aloud, "Where is that? Never heard of it before."

"Yeah, I wouldn't expect anyone to know where it is. After all, what year is it?" She asked, ignoring their confused looks.

"It's the twenty-eighth of December, seventeen fifty-one." Liam answered, finally passing the book to the Irishman. "What does the year matter for?"

"Because Australia doesn't exist yet." She announced miserably, dragging a hand down her face. It was 1751. She was in the year 1751. There was no hopes of going home even if she wanted to at this point because her home doesn't even exist yet.

"Speak sense, girl. What do you mean it doesn't _exist_ yet?" Chevalier asked. He looked as skeptical as he did an hour ago when she first revealed something about herself.

"I mean exactly what I said. Australia has not been found yet. Well it might have, I don't know, but it isn't really part of any maps at this time, I don't think. My point is… I'm not from this time. I'm from the year 2016."

Chevalier leaned back in his chair with a scoff, shaking his head as he suddenly reached in the desk drawer for a dark glass bottle. He popped the cork off and then took a few large gulps of whatever was inside - rum, she assumed. Shay had stopped reading to stare down at her with an indiscernible look while Liam looked like he was seriously considering her words, brows furrowed in concentration.

"Do you realize how berserk you sound, girl?" Chevalier asked, waving the mouth of his bottle at her.

"I think this may be one of the first and only times where I find myself agreeing with you, Captain Joseph…" Shay muttered, earning a look of annoyance from the man.

"I don't know." Liam said rather loudly, drawing their eyes over to him. He gestured to the book. "It contains the symbol of our creed inside as well as the symbol of our enemies'. This could be important - something the mentor should know about. Perhaps he could assist us in this."

"Perhaps, but how does that explain her claim about coming from the future though?" Shay inquired, placing the book back down on the desk.

"Oh, I have proof!" Tia chirped, lifting her bag to sit it on her lap. She unzipped it, noticing how Shay eyed it in wonder for the second time, before pulling her phone out for them to see. She handed it to Liam since he was the only one who seemed to be believing her stories, if even a little, and motioned for him to press the home button at the bottom. The device lit up causing his eyes to widen in surprise. He held it back a little, not expecting the sudden harshness of the bright screen.

"What is that?" Chevalier asked, an incredulous expression on his face as he gestured for Liam to give it to him. Once it was in his hands, the screen timed off and went blank. "What happened?"

She was unable to hold back a laugh as all three of them suddenly stood up and fiddled with the device, trying to figure out how turn it back on. They reminded her of a bunch of old men not understanding her generation with their 'tech gadgets'. They messed with it for a bit longer before Liam finally reached over and clicked the home button, making it light up again and causing Chevalier to hold it back from their faces.

"Who's that?" Shay asked after getting a glimpse of the screen.

"Who's who?" She said, raising her brow. He slipped it out of Frenchman's hands and held it in front of her for her to see. "Oh my god. Of course he would."

Her background had been changed from a photo she had taken at the beach to a selfie of her best friend winking at the camera with a cheeky grin on his face. He seemed to have done it at work considering she could see the coffee machines in the back. Was that her manager giving a thumbs up in the background?

"That's Mark." She said, reaching out to grab her phone and looking at it with a soft expression. She wondered when he had done this. She didn't even know about it until now. She wasn't really surprised though. Her best friend loved to change her background photo all the time, and even if he couldn't manage to get his hands on her phone, he could easily hack into it from his computer at home. He was a whiz when it came to technology.

"Mark?" Shay asked, coming to stand behind her so he could look at the photo of her best friend again. "Is he your lover then?"

Her face scrunched up at the assumption and she shook her head, chuckling. "He's actually-"

"Not important right now." Chevalier cut in, finally having enough and coaxing the Irishman off his desk. "Tia's love life is none of your business, Shay."

Shay raised his brows and sighed as he put his hands up in mock defense. He scooted himself over to the other side of the room and started to poke around at random things he could find, much to Chevalier's chagrin as he turned back to Tia and tried to ignore him.

"Do those symbols mean anything to you?" Liam asked, quizzically raising a brow at her.

She shifted in her chair, a little unsure of answering this question. They all seemed to be expecting something from her, if Shay subtly glancing in her direction was something to go by. What did they expect her to say? Certainly not that those symbols remind her of maths and a hospital.

"No, not really." She answered truthfully, dragging out the last word in mild suspicion. Their shoulders slumped - from disappointment or relief, she didn't know. She furrowed her brows, folding her legs up onto the chair so she could hug them. "Why? Should they mean something to me?"

"Hm, that is hard to say for the moment." Chevalier sighed, running a hand through his hair. He leaned forward with an air of finality coming about him. "But I believe it would be best if you stay with us. We need to finish some business first but then we will set sail for the Davenport Homestead. There are some… associates who could possibly help you in your predicament."

Tia's mood instantly perked up at the news. "Really?"

"Indeed." Chevalier confirmed. "Now, if you could all take your leave, I need to get to work on some of these documents." He opened his drawer and pulled out a large stack of papers, dropping it onto his desk with a slam.

Shay eagerly dropped whatever he was looking at and made his way out the cabin door with a nod, leaving Tia and Liam to try and hold in a laugh as they got up themselves. Just as Liam stepped out, Tia turned around and gave one last glance to the Frenchman who was already shuffling through the papers with a tired look on his face.

"Um." Tia started. He gazed up at her with a hum. "Thanks for not kicking me off the ship."

She didn't wait for an answer as she bid him a goodnight and gently closed the door behind her. Pulling her coat tighter around her body, she tried to stave off the cold air that had greeted her upon stepping outside. Liam had waited for her, guiding a hand around her back to lead her down to the hatch. She was grateful for that since it was pretty dark out, save for the light the moon gave off and some sailors walking around with their lanterns.

"I gather it went better than you expected." Liam commented just as they reached the stairs. He gestured for her to go first.

"Yeah. I was thinking I'd be kicked off the ship by now." She replied, lowering her head in slight embarrassment. "I'm so glad it didn't come to that."

"Ah, of course not. Chevalier may come across that way but he isn't heartless, I assure you. He just has… a different way of going about things."

"Well, I definitely felt assured when he was growling in my face before you guys came along." She sarcastically replied.

He coughed, pretending he didn't hear anything as he lead the way through the mess of sleeping sailors back to their hammocks. Shay was already lying down with the blanket pulled over his head, so they couldn't tell if he was awake or not. Tia climbed up into her hammock, sliding her bag down near her feet. She would have to put it away tomorrow it seems. It was just when she had closed her eyes that her stomach grumbled loudly in protest. Her eyes snapped open at the sound. The talk had completely wiped the thought of food from her mind and now she was feeling the pang of hunger return full force. After all, she hadn't eaten since yesterday's supper.

"Liam?" She whispered, leaning over to look at him. "Did you end up saving any food for me?"

"Why did you wait until now to ask me that?" He sighed.

"I forgot."

"Well, you're lucky I put this in my pocket then." He held out some biscuits wrapped inside a small handkerchief.

"Thanks Liam!" She beamed in a quiet voice, eagerly reaching down to grab it. She was happily munching away on her food when a thought came to her. "Where is the Davenport Homestead? Is that where you all live?"

She could hear him shifting around in his hammock. "You could say that. The Homestead is a few days travel from Boston - a few weeks travel from where we will be when we finish up our business out here."

"Oh. Great." She deadpanned.

That meant more time to spend on this floating piece of wood in the middle of nowhere. For someone who doesn't like water, let's just say she's awfully surprised she hadn't been seasick yet. She had to admit that this was pretty cool for a first time experience out on the water. She was certain that nobody from her time had this kind of opportunity considering all the boats and ships are made of metal now.

"So, who are you guys taking me to see at this homestead?" She asked, picking at her last piece of meat.

"Achilles Davenport and a few other friends of ours. They may be able to help us. If not, then at least you will have somewhere to stay until we figure out what we're going to do."

She bit her lip. "Will I be staying with you guys then?"

"Who? Chevalier, Shay and I?" He chuckled, "We will sort that out when we get there. Chances are the three of us will probably be put straight to work again after a few days anyway."

"Oh yeah, what is it that you guys do for work exactly?" She inquired, fidgeting with the hem of her coat now that she'd finished eating.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that." He replied, voice a little lower than before.

She blinked in confusion. _What reason does he have to hide their job occupation from me?_

"It's not something I can share even if I wanted to, Tia. Nothing personal." Liam said, his tone a bit lighter than before.

She flushed in embarrassment, thankful that it was dark and that she had her own hammock to hide her reddening face behind. She hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"I imagine you two are enjoying keeping me awake then?" A tired voice grumbled from the floor.

"Sorry, Shay." Liam apologized, glancing down at his best friend who was in the process of glaring at them both with sleepy eyes. "We were just heading to sleep now, weren't we, Tia?"

"Yup! G'night." She squeaked, immediately laying down and shutting her eyes upon hearing the grumpy Shay mumble some more.

* * *

The morning air had a chilly bite to it as Tia stepped out onto the deck with a yawn. She rubbed at her shivering arms. She felt as if the coat she was wearing didn't even want to keep her warm sometimes, simply choosing to let the cold air seep into her body instead of keeping her warm. She could probably blame that on the fact that she was used to Australian weather.

She walked over to lean on the rail at the side, gazing out to the calm ocean before her. _I wonder what mum and dad are up to…_

The days were finally beginning to form a routine in Tia's head. Although she was pretty out of her element (and time), she thought she was doing a pretty good job at this whole living in the past deal. She would rise early, speak to Chevalier (sometimes Liam and Shay) at the wheel for a while, do her chore of swabbing the deck, seek out Ian and Matt, hang with them for a while, eat supper and then sleep. It was certainly a big change from her usual routines but it'd be a lie if she said she didn't like it, even at least a little bit.

Several times, when she found herself alone she would pull out the book to see if there were any new passages. There was nothing as of yet and she'd even tried writing with her mind as the voice had told her to, but nothing would work. Perhaps it was not time for her to start yet? It would make sense if that was the case.

"Land ahoy!"

* * *

 **A/N: Woo, chapter seven done and out of the way. I apologize if there are any grammar mistakes in here, I wrote most of this while I was half asleep. :') Not too much of an interaction with Shay by himself in this one but I don't want it to be** _ **all**_ **about him - I feel like the other characters should get more development time in this story as well. Do not worry, Shay will get his time soon. ;)**

 **Also, I will be updating this weekly from now on. Hopefully then I can pump out longer chapters for you guys as well as leave a longer editing window for myself as I feel I've been missing quite a few things when writing these past few chapters. I was going to wait a few more days for this update but I felt like this was a good spot to stop. I don't know. Until later then, adios amigos! X**


	8. Chapter 8

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter Eight**

 _January 1st, 1752 | Port Menier, North Atlantic_

"What do you mean I can't get off the ship?"

Tia had to resist the urge to kick and scream like a little kid when Chevalier had told her she was not to step foot off the ship. She was more than a little eager to feel the steady, solid ground beneath her feet after a full ten days of being out at sea for the first time - up until Chevalier crushed her hopes, that is. She trailed after him, a small pout on her lips.

"This should not take long." He said, sparing her a glance as he watched over a few of his men who were preparing for their trip. "Besides, I am only taking a small group of my men with me. No need to take more than what's needed."

"Oh, come on!" She cried, nearly reaching out to grab his arm and stopping herself at the last second when she remembered it was Chevalier she was talking to. That could have been awkward.

"The answer is final." Chevalier said, fixing her with a firm look that said he was finished with this conversation.

She sighed and dropped her head forward in slight embarrassment at her own persistency. She wasn't usually one to act like such a child, but this was her first time at sea, not to mention she was in a different time altogether, and yet she wasn't even allowed to step off the ship for a second. She simply wanted to feel as if there was no effort put into standing upright again. She had had enough of constantly losing her balance or tripping over when a particularly large wave rocked the ship. She would probably be rich if she kept track of the amount of times she had heard a sailor (or even Shay) chuckle at her 'lack of sea-legs'. It was pretty self-explanatory as to what 'sea-legs' were, but she couldn't help but feel the slight presence of sexism in some of their tones, no doubt finding it hilarious that she was a weak little girl in their eyes.

The sound of two pairs of boots approaching them snapped Tia out of her little pity party, and caused her to lift her head up again. She sighed in relief at seeing the best friend duo walking towards them, hoping that they could alleviate the somewhat awkward atmosphere she had created between the Frenchman and herself. Liam sent her a silent nod to which she returned with a grin, while Shay stepped forward and gave her shoulder a friendly pat.

"Mornin', lass." Shay greeted, pointedly smiling at her and not to her companion. "Chevalier."

The man simply grunted and walked towards the group of men, moving to scold one of the sailors for using the wrong set of ropes. They all watched as said sailor apologized profusely to his captain, sweat visibly appearing on his young face. He quickly scrambled to fix his mistake under a now more watchful eye.

"Seems Chevalier's really on his toes today." Shay commented, snickering to himself as said man started barking more orders.

"Mm, just keep out of his way when we leave, alright?" Liam said, crossing his arms and giving friend a stern look. "We don't want another fight breaking out between the two of you."

"Wait. You guys are going as well?" She coughed in disbelief, pointing her finger at them in question. The small pout returned when they both nodded in response. "What did I do to deserve this?" She mumbled under her breath.

Shay had still managed to pick up on her quiet words over the sound of shouting sailors and the waves slapping the side of the ship. "Don't feel too bad lass, besides-" He smirked, "At least you won't be behind on your cleaning."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Yeah, well you're gonna be behind on your breathing if you don't-!"

"Alright, that's enough you two." Liam cut in, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder and giving him a little push. "Come on, Shay. Chevalier is waiting for us."

She glared at the young Irishman's back as they walked off, fighting off the urge to run up to him and kick him in the behind. He would most likely hear her before she reached him anyway. She swore he had a dog's keen sense of hearing, picking up on the smallest things around him like it was nothing. Liam was the same, now that she thought about it.

The small boat that would carry the group of men bobbed gently in the water next to the ship, making it seem even smaller than it actually was. She watched as all the sailors climbed down and hopped in, the boat gently rocking each time another sailor got in. Chevalier followed behind and then Liam and Shay after that. A cheeky grin slowly slid across her face, an idea coming to her head. She quickly searched around, looking for something loose and small that she could use to carry out her plan, eventually having to resort to using her hair tie.

She ran back to the side of the ship, where she leaned over and aimed the hair tie at Shay like a slingshot. A few of the men were already starting to row them away, the boat slowly getting further and further from her, heading towards an island in the distance. She squinted one eye closed, focusing on her aim - there was no way she would miss this, having had enough practice on Mark whenever he was being annoying. She let it go, the hair tie soaring through the air towards its target, hitting the back of his head with a small thwack. She hadn't heard it but she knew that was the sound it would've made, a satisfied grin coming to her face when his hand immediately flew to nurse the back of his head. He picked up the offending object, glancing around in confusion before he finally figured it out.

"Really, lass?" Shay called out to her, his voice cutting clearly through the morning air as he turned to look up at her. He held it the black elastic in the air, shaking it a little in accusation. "Your hair tie?"

"I hope that felt nice!" She called back, a laugh escaping her when he shook his head and faced the front again. She figured she would most likely never see her hair tie again after this.

"Oi Chacha, what are you doin' over there?"

She immediately coughed and straightened up, trying to play off her mischievous chuckling. She turned around to find Ian standing a few feet away with one of the young sailors he introduced to her last week, a look of concealed amusement on their faces.

"Oh, nothing. Just... enjoying the view." She offered, innocently hopping over to them.

"Ah, it is quite a sight, aye." Ian agreed. "Anyway, the captain has asked me to keep an eye on you today so I suggest you'd get to swabbing the decks right away."

She slumped her shoulders forward when Ian pulled the bucket and mop from behind his back with a half apologetic and half amused look on his face. "Alright."

"Why the long face?" Ian asked, tapping her on the nose with a chuckle. "Think of it this way - when you're done, you can do whatever you like."

"Huh. That's what my mum always says."

"Wise woman she is, then. Go on now."

She nodded and hesitantly got to work. Her progress was the slowest it had ever been, only having done a quarter of the main deck in the time it usually took her to do the whole thing. Her motivation for the day was already long gone, her chore seeming like it would take forever to finish. Maybe she could listen to music while she does goes, that way it would be less boring and more fun. She dropped the mop, nearly skipping her way to the hiding spot where her bag was. She had almost forgotten about her phone.

Taking it out, she plugged the headphones in and checked the battery percentage. It was still at one hundred percent, not changing once ever since it had arrived here in her bag. She figured it was some sort of side effect of time travel. She had no idea how that made any sense but she wasn't going to complain - at least she had some form of modern day entertainment with her. She had no idea how people from this day and age passed the time, especially sailors who spent a lot of time at sea.

She tucked the phone underneath her shirt and slid it into the pocket of her pants, making sure to weave the headphones underneath it so it was hidden. She also fluffed her hair up and made sure to cover her ears and neck under the long waves just in case the headphone cords decided to pop out and say hello to someone it shouldn't. She pressed shuffle on her playlist, immediately grinning when one of her favourite songs came on. She put the bag away and returned to the main deck to carry on her job of swabbing the deck, feeling much more energetic than before. Every now and then she would notice some of the men giving her strange looks, no doubt judging her for bobbing around the place like a weirdo - that, or they were fascinated by her strange dance moves and had no idea how to react.

It was about an hour later when she furrowed her brows in confusion. She swore she could hear shouting. Leaning the mop on the barrel closest to her, she discreetly took out her earphones and looked around. The calm atmosphere from before had vanished, the sailors now running in different directions, shouting to each other with worried looks on their faces. The first mate was up near the wheel, giving orders to the crew, frantically pointing at some ships that were fast approaching _The Gerfaut_.

"Miss Chachi!"

She quickly found the owner of the voice running over to her in a hurry. "Matt? W-what's going on?" She stammered.

He gently grabbed her by the wrist and started to lead her around the rushing sailors towards the hatch. "Listen, you need to go down there and wait until this is over."

"Why? What's happening? Where's Ian?" She nervously asked. He nudged her to start walking down the stairs to the mess deck.

"We're about to be ambushed and Ian is busy right now!" He bluntly informed her, his face strangely calm. "You will be safer down there, miss. Trust me."

"But what about Chevalier and-?" She started, but he was already closing the hatch on her.

She quickly ran down the stairs and jumped into Liam's hammock, not wanting to climb up into her own. The shouts from above could still be heard, making Tia flinch. What was she supposed to do? She had never experienced an attack like this before. The worst 'attack' she'd ever experienced in the modern day world was when her computer contracted some stupid virus that messed with a lot of her school files, nearly costing her half her grade for Science. Clearly, that was nothing in comparison to this. She briefly remembered a history lesson (which never happens) where Mr Aswald had gone on and on about different kinds of weaponry used on ships - cannons were the first thing that came to mind.

 _Oh sweet Jesus, we're all going to die._

It felt like hours went by with her simply sitting in the hammock, listening and waiting. The shouts had finally toned down, the atmosphere becoming more tense as the silence went on. She held her breath.

"BRACE!"

Tia screamed and curled up into a ball when she felt the ship rock with the impact of being hit. The sound of loud crashing followed by wood creaking and cracking travelled to where she was, effectively making her panic that much more. The shouting picked up again, Chevalier's men no doubt trying to figure out what to do. It was only a short moment later when more cannonballs were shot, the frequency of hits varying in intensity. The creaking was getting louder and louder with each hit, meshing in with the shouts of the men. She covered her ears, wincing at the loudness of it all. As much as she hated the thought of going out there, she needed to help out somehow. Jumping out of the hammock, she ran up to the hatch again only to find that it wouldn't open.

"He freakin' locked me down here?" She spluttered, smacking the hatch in frustration. She was helpless down here. She tried to peek through the small holes of the hatch but she could only catch small glimpses of the mast and the blue of the sky. "Like that helps anyone. Shit."

Where were Chevalier and the others? They hadn't gone too far, at least not that she knew of. Wouldn't they be able to hear all these cannons being fired? She wasn't really surprised that they were loud weapons, but it didn't mean she expected it. The ships that were firing at them were surely close by, no doubt circling them as they attacked. She could only imagine how loud the cannons were up close. By the sounds of things, Chevalier's men weren't going to be going on the offensive anytime soon, confusing her to no end - why didn't they all come down here where it was safe, then? Another barrage of hits took to the side of _The Gerfaut_.

"Whoa!"

She let out a yelp and put her hands on the wall for support, just barely recovering from being knocked off balance. When the harsh rocking motions stopped, she hastily walked back and stood down the bottom of the steps for a few moments, feeling completely helpless. To her surprise, the hatch flew open, a few sailors helping some of their injured comrades down the stairs. One man in particular noticed her and grabbed her by the upper arm, dragging her after him. She immediately tried to tug her way out of his hold.

"Hey, what the hell man?" She burst out, almost kicking the man in the knee out of self defense.

He spun around, icy blue eyes firmly on hers. It was then that she noticed he was wearing glasses. "Know any medical practice?"

She shifted her eyes across the injured men that were passing them. One of them had a deep cut down his chest, the blood seeping through his shirt. He had a pained look on his face, leaning some of his weight onto the sailor that was helping him. She winced.

"Um, not really?" She stammered, looking back to him.

He shook his head. "It will have to do."

He proceeded to drag her after him again, eventually coming to a white curtain that separated the room from the main part of the mess deck. She'd never bothered to go out of the main space, thinking she was forbidden from the rest of the ship. At least she knew where first aid occurred now. The man, who she now recognised as the doctor, was now directing the others where to place the injured men, the one whose condition looked worse being laid down on a small table in the centre.

"I need you to go around to them, find out where the injuries are and if possible, help them out. Distract them from the pain, even. Just do what you can!" He stressed, not even looking her way as he focused on his first patient.

She nodded and moved over to the sailor closest to her - a young man of thin stature. He was sitting on the floor with his eyes scrunched closed, leaning his back on the wall to keep him upright. She slowly kneeled down beside him and gazed at him with a look of sympathy. There was a large, painful looking gash in the side of his head, blood trickling down the front of his face and onto the shirt he was wearing. His black hair was generally pretty short but it was caked down onto his scalp, the blood making his hair look even darker if that were even possible.

"Hey..." She announced quietly, catching his attention. "I'm going to try help you."

He glanced up at her, trying to conceal his pain and failing. "Ch-Chachi, was it?"

She nodded slowly, not bothering to ask him how he knew that. He probably learnt about her through Ian and Matt. She got up and asked the doctor where some clean water was. He pointed over to a small bucket that had water and a couple of clean cloths next to it. She carried them back over to where the young man was. Taking a seat right in front of him, she nudged his leg out of the way and grabbed a piece of cloth, dipping it into the water before squeezing it out. She looked at him curiously before asking for his name.

"E-Evan at your service, m'lady." He managed a weak smile, eyes flitting over her face.

"Nice to meet you, Evan. So, uh, how did this happen?" She asked quietly, gently beginning to clean the blood off his face by dabbing the cloth on it. She reached out and gently lifted his chin so she could see better.

"I-I was unlucky. Got knocked into by some flying debris on the first hit."

She hummed, flipping the cloth over to a clean side and dabbing it over the rest of his face, just to hopefully help calm him down a bit more. She honestly had no idea what she was doing. Cleaning the blood off them was all she was going to do because the last thing she wanted to do was hurt them even further if she screwed up somehow. She would leave the poking and prodding part to the doctor.

"How old are you?" She asked, placing the cloth down on the floor now that she had finished.

"Eighteen, I a-am." He answered. "What about you?"

"I'm seventeen."

His eyes widened slightly in surprise, "I never would've guessed."

"Did you think I was older or something?"

"N-no, thought you were younger actually." He admitted.

"Huh, I don't get that often." She said, raising her brows in surprise. She stood up and smiled down at him. "Anyways, I hope you're okay for now but I have to go see your friends now."

He nodded. "Thank you."

She moved onto the next sailor. He was an older man who had fallen onto his arm while trying to jump out of the way of a cannonball. She couldn't do much to help except to offer him some kind words of comfort, giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder. She was onto the fifth sailor, wiping some blood off his ankle when the ship rocked again, more cannon fires could be heard except they weren't the ones taking the hit. Everyone in the room tensed, listening out for the other sailors who were still out there.

"I think we 'ave someone helpin' us." Someone said gruffly.

The doctor scoffed. "It's about time. We don't need anymore injuries."

"Seriously? It wasn't like anyone asked to be attacked." She mumbled, just loud enough for the sailor in front of her to hear. He chuckled and shook his head as she angrily continued cleaning his ankle of blood. A few more moments passed by and the doctor had finally moved onto the sailor she was working on, having finished all his other patients off. She stood back to give them room, moving to grab a clean cloth to wipe her dirty hands off. She grimaced. The scent of blood was so strong at the moment, she was having a hard time keeping her stomach at bay.

The sound of cannon fire had finally stopped, a few loud cheers sounding from above. Some of the men in the room even let out a cheer of their own, grins stretching across all their faces. She took the opportunity to slip out of the room while they were distracted, avoiding the doctor's line of sight just in case he made her stay. Once she was in the clear, she quickly bound up the stairs and out through the hatch, taking a look at the damage that had been done.

No one else seemed to have gotten any injuries, all of them immediately getting to work on cleaning up the mess. The deck seemed to have taken most of the damage (from what she could see anyway), holes of different sizes were here and there, splintered wood sticking out of the planks. There was a few smashed crates lying around and some of the rails had sections missing. It didn't take a genius to know what the broadsides would look like.

Matt eventually spotted her, coming over to her with his a thin smile on his lips. "Are you okay?"

She gaped at him with a stupefied look, reaching up to brush some dirt and wood chips off his shoulders, "Am I okay? Are _you_ okay?"

He laughed and nodded his head. "I'm fine. Not my first experience." He turned and pointed at the only ship in the not so far distance. "There were about five enemy ships but that one over there assisted us. We don't recognize her but we spotted the captain on board. He's making his way over now."

She sighed in relief, finally spotting the little rowboat that was getting closer to them. Chevalier was seated at the front with his arms crossed and his hood over his head. He did not seem happy at all. She couldn't blame him, really. When they finally reached the side of the ship, the other sailors helped them all up onto the deck. They all clapped each other on the back, happy that they made it through the ordeal. Chevalier was up last, his frown deepening when he saw the state of his ship. She walked up to him, trying to ignore the choice words that were escaping his mouth. Most were in French but it didn't take a genius to figure out how colourful they were.

"Sir?" She timidly called out, not sure if the man wanted to talk right now.

His eyes snapped to her and softened somewhat, though she was sure the fury would return soon enough.

"Hm, you're alright. I was worried." He said, checking over her for any injuries. "My men did their job well it seems."

She nodded, a little surprised at his words. She wasn't expecting him to say something like that - not that she didn't think the man was kind enough to, he just hasn't really given her much of a reason to think otherwise.

"Um, where are Liam and Shay?" She asked. She didn't see them on the little rowboat.

"Ah, yes." He held a hand up and called out to a few of his men, Matt included. They all jogged over and stood in front of him, awaiting orders from their captain. "You are to escort Chachi to that ship, _the Morrigan_ , where she will be travelling to the homestead with Shay and Liam."

"Wait, what?" She asked, confusion evident on her face. "Why are they over there?"

Chevalier smiled bitterly. "That _ship_ is now under Shay's command."

"Oh… Well, what about you?"

"I have my own ship to captain." He said, stretching his arms out in a wide gesture to the very vessel they were standing on. " _The Gerfaut_ will be following from behind."

"Well, I guess I'll go get my stuff then…" She concluded.

When she returned with her bag in tow, Chevalier and Matt were waiting for her. The other sailors had already situated themselves into the rowboat, waiting on the last two passengers before they could head off.

"You ready?" Matt inquired with a smile, climbing down after she gave him a nod of confirmation.

She was about to follow but quickly turned back and chanced a quick pat on the Frenchman's arm in a small burst of confidence. "Catch you later, Chevalier."

She didn't wait for a response, practically throwing herself down the ladder and onto the rowboat. It only took a few minutes for them to finally reach _The Morrigan_ 's side. Tia immediately took note that it was a smaller ship in comparison to Chevalier's, not to say that that was a bad thing. It was merely an observation for her curious mind.

"There you go, miss Chachi." Matt said, standing up to assist her.

"Tell Ian I said goodbye, okay?" She told him while giving him a brief hug, surprising the young man. He gently returned the gesture before pulling away and helping her onto the ladder.

When she made it to the top, she took in the appearance of her new temporary 'home'. It looked a lot bigger than it did from the side, that's for sure. The deck stretched out long and wide, a good amount of space for the sailors to move around on. She recognized a few of the crew members, having seen them earlier today when they left with Chevalier for their little trip. What were they doing here? Had Chevalier given some of his men over to Shay? She glanced about, looking for said young man and his friend. She eventually found them standing over by the wheel.

Shay noticed her approach first, a mischievous grin sliding onto his face. "Ah, you're here, lass. It's about time. Liam and I were just considering leaving without you." He joked.

"Don't drag me into this." Liam scolded his friend, putting his hands up in defense when Tia looked his way.

 _What an ass_ , she thought, giving the young Irishman a blank look and pulling the finger at him. As he was laughing, she noticed he had gained a few small scratches and a bruise on his face, marring the otherwise clear skin.

"What's with your face?" She asked bluntly, raising a brow.

Liam scoffed at the question and answered before his friend could. "Let's just say he had a small disagreement with Chevalier."

"Hey, he started that one." Shay said, immediately jumping to his own defense. "Besides, I just saved his ship from the British, did I not?"

"Aye, I guess so." Liam shrugged. "I'll be back." He told them, disappearing down the steps and into the captain's cabin below them.

Shay seemed satisfied with the answer and turned around, his hands coming to rest upon the wheel of his new ship. "Set a course for the homestead!" He commanded, raising his voice so all the men could hear.

They all set to work, immediately dispersing from their little social circles and heading to their stations. When the ship started to move, Tia lurched forward, accidentally bumping into Shay's back and earning herself a chuckle from the young man. She immediately corrected her stance and moved to the side so she could hold onto the rail like Liam had been doing.

She glared at him, a small blush creeping onto her cheeks. "Shut up, Shane."

"Shane?" He questioned, furrowing his brows in confusion. He dropped a hand from the wheel, letting it rest at his side as he turned his eyes over to her.

"It's what Ian calls you." She told him.

This only seemed to confuse him more. "Who?"

"Never mind…" She murmured, shaking her head in dismissal. He continued to stare at her, causing her to fidget under his gaze. "What?"

"Why don't you ever call me by my name?" He asked, genuinely curious about her answer.

She blinked, letting the information process in her head. She hadn't actually realized that she's never said his name before - at least, not to is face, that is.

"You act like you don't know." He said, practically reading her mind. "It's already been two weeks."

" _Almost_ two weeks, actually." She corrected, folding her arms. She pouted, tilting her head downwards so she could look up at him through her lashes. "Why does it matter anyway? Does it hurt your feelings?"

He pretended to clutch at his chest. "It wounds my heart, it does."

A small giggle escaped her lips, her hand immediately coming up to cover her amusement. She sighed, "In all honesty though, I actually had no idea."

"It's alright."

They stood there for a while, relishing in the cool sea breeze that brushed past them. Liam had joined the two of them again, quietly murmuring to Shay about something he had found in the captain's desk, a look of interest coming across their faces. She zoned out from their words, instead choosing to admire the sky as it turned various shades of pink and purple, stars eventually making their appearance as night slowly moved in. The crew had begun to sing sea shanties, bellowing out chorus after chorus in their rough voices. She wasn't used to this kind of music but enjoyed it all the same, even trying to sing along herself when she thought she had the words down, much to the amusement of the young men standing beside her.

A short, middle-aged man approached them much later, relieving Shay of his duty and allowing him to take a step back from the wheel for the night. He stretched, letting out a satisfied sigh before turning to the other two.

"I don't know about you two, but I am starving." He said, patting his belly with a breathy laugh.

Liam grinned and shook his head. "The cook should be done by now. I'll go take a look."

"Oh, Liam?" Shay called him back before he could disappear. "I want the food brought up to my cabin. We will eat in there."

With a nod, Liam finally left to go check on the food, leaving Shay and Tia by themselves once again. She started twirling the tips of her hair around her fingers, suddenly feeling a bit awkward as she opened and closed her mouth, trying to find the right words for her question. Shay glanced at her, raising a curious brow as if to say 'spit it out'.

"Um… Where should _I_ go?" She blurted, suddenly feeling a tad shy under his dark gaze. She had automatically assumed that by 'we', Shay had meant himself and Liam. After all, she wasn't sure if they even considered her friends. She never had to worry about this on _The Gerfaut_ as Chevalier had mostly made sure she was sorted out, and even then, she had Ian and Matt to go to if she was ever alone.

Shay, seeing her mild discomfort, rest a hand on her shoulder. "You eat with Liam and I, lass… Unless you want to eat with the crew?"

She almost glared at him but, seeing the genuine look in his eyes, she refrained from doing so. "N-no. I want to stay with you." She murmured quietly.

"Come on then." Shay beckoned, motioning for her to follow him down the steps and up to the set of double doors leading into the captain's cabin.

She slowly trailed after him, watching as he pushed the door open and welcomed her inside. She stepped in, immediately letting out a grateful sigh as the air was partially warmer inside and there was no wind to flick her hair around anymore. Shay pointed her over to a large desk that sat in the back, shoving the various scrolls and books that lay on top of it, over to the side.

"You can sit in that chair if you want. I'm sitting over here." Shay told her, moving over to the comfy looking bed that was partially hidden in the corner (at least she thought it was, considering she hadn't even realized it was there until just now).

She walked around the table, dropping her bag onto the floor as she went and plopped herself into the large, cushioned chair that sat behind it. "Wow, this is comfy."

Shay chuckled, taking a seat on the bed. "Only the best for a captain."

Liam walked in at that moment, carrying three small plates and cups. Once the other two had their plates, he took his own and sat in the guest chairs in front of where Tia was seated. The three of them sat there, munching at their food and making small talk, no one really putting in an effort to start a real conversation, though, she guessed that it was mainly because she was there. She didn't really feel out of place, though, which was good. They had long finished their food when something suddenly came to Tia's mind,

"Hey, uh, where will I be sleeping? Also, I need somewhere to hide my stuff from the crew."

"You will sleep down in the crew's quarters with Liam." Shay said, shifting to a more comfortable position. "And you can leave your stuff in here if you want."

She nodded hesitantly. She didn't really know why but she felt weird about parting with her bag even if it was only going to be in here with Shay. It wasn't because of the young man himself, but simply because it was the only tie to home that she had. At the thought of home, a sad look came across her face.

"What's gotten you down all of a sudden?" Shay asked, noticing her change of mood.

She shook her head, not wanting to talk about it. It would probably just make her feel even worse if she tried. "I'm just tired, that's all."

"We best be heading off to sleep then, aye?" Liam said, standing up from his chair and moving over to the doors.

She nodded, bidding Shay a quiet goodnight and thanking him for letting her eat with them. He simply nodded, moving to take off his gear so he could get some sleep himself. It had certainly been a tiring day for all.

* * *

 **A/N: Alright! Chapter eight complete~ what did you guys think? Enough Tia/Shay interaction or not enough? :') Anyways, I will be making a few edits to last chapters, nothing big, just fixing mistakes here and there and maybe changing a small detail or two - also, adding in dates/locations because I realize that that will be important. XD Prepare yourselves for the arrival of The Homestead and other assassins in the next chapter. I will start to speed things up in the coming chapters. I haven't yet, simply because I felt as if I should slowly ease her into their world - which is hopefully not** _ **too**_ **slow for you guys. As always, thanks for the new reviews, follows and faves! Next update coming soon~ x**


	9. Chapter 9

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter Nine**

 _January 10th, 1752_

Tia shifted in her hammock and stuck her legs over the side, shaking them out in order to fight off the growing numbness from sitting on them for a long period of time. In her hands, she held the peculiar little book, a perplexed look on her face as she tried to figure out how to 'write with her mind' like she'd been told to. She had tried earlier on in the week but nothing had worked, the pages remaining just as empty as it had been when she'd first opened it up. Even Liam and Shay could offer no help to her, both of them appearing just as confused as she was when she mentioned using her mind instead of a physical writing instrument.

She scoffed. _Oh, the irony in not being able to use the damn thing even though it's my only form of communication with that voice-person…_

She bit her cheek in thought, cringing in mild disgust when the tip of her tongue accidentally swiped across the back of her teeth - something she'd been trying to avoid these past few weeks. It was a gentle but constant reminder of the lack of hygiene in the eighteenth century. She had no idea what she was going to do when it comes to her time of the month. Being the only female on a ship certainly had its downsides, it seemed.

 _I'm not the one that needs the shower though, s_ he thought with mild distaste. It was hard to hide her disgust whenever a particularly bad smelling sailor walked past her, the stench of their sweat, that has been building up for who knows how long, assaulting her nose. Too bad she couldn't introduce them all to some good old, modern day deodorant. God knows they needed it.

She gently closed the book, tossing it beside her as she sighed and ran a hand over her face. She had been sitting here for a couple of hours now and to say she had accomplished anything would be a massive lie. She's kind of glad Chevalier wasn't around to see her like this, knowing the man would probably disapprove of such a lack of productiveness on her part - which was fair enough. Shay, however, didn't seem bothered by what she did aboard his ship, often telling her to simply "stay warm" and then leaving it at that. It was almost like he was too _soft_ to tell her to do something, but she knew he was anything but, what with the way he gives - more like shouts - orders to the rest of the crew.

"Liam?" She groaned, dragging out the name in a bored tone. She waited until she heard a small grunt of acknowledgement from the hammock next to hers. "I'm bored."

"I take it you still haven't figured out how to work the book, then?" He asked, rubbing small circles into his temples in an attempt to calm his pounding headache. He was supposed to be out there near the wheel with Shay, but he'd been told (more like forced) by said man to come take a rest.

"Nope." She said, popping the 'p' at the end. "Nothing's working and I don't get it." She rolled off the hammock, landing softly on her sock-covered feet. She looked over to Liam, frowning when she finally took notice of his slightly uncomfortable expression. "Hey, are you alright?"

He waved a dismissive hand at her, "Ah, nothing to worry yourself over. Just go check up on Shay for me, will you?"

"Uh, sure thing." She agreed, slipping into her red Vans and giving Liam one last look before she headed out. "I'll be right back." She said.

When she made it outside, she took in a deep breath of fresh air. Even though it was only midday, the air still had quite a chill to it, provoking a small shiver from her when the wind brushed past her. She pulled the collar of her jacket up as high as it could go before shuffling over to stand in front of the helm, looking up at the young Irishman whom she needed to check up on.

"Any particular reason as to why you're staring at me, lass?" He asked after a few moments, a small smirk on his face as he paid attention to steering the ship around some larger ships. "Not to say that I don't enjoy the attention, of course." Shay jokingly added.

She rolled her eyes. "Liam asked me to check up on you, although I don't really know why. You're a big boy, aren't you?"

"'Course I am, lass. What else would I be?" Shay inquired, turning the wheel a few more times before holding it position.

Tia bit her lip, holding back the urge to smile. "Oh, you are just _asking_ for a sarcastic reply right now… But I'll be nice and cut you some slack."

"How thoughtful of you." Shay laughed. He finally looked at her, having successfully maneuvered his way around the small group of ships. "Did you end up figuring out that book of yours?"

"Ugh, don't even get me started on that stupid thing." She mumbled, running a hand through her hair in frustration. She winced and let out a quiet "ow" when her fingers got caught in a few tangles. She fiddled with her hair a bit, and finally released her fingers, glaring at the young Irishman who was chuckling at her small dilemma. "You still have my hair tie, don't you?"

He shrugged, an irritatingly innocent look on his face. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't."

"Where is it?" She deadpanned.

"Hard to say, lass."

"Give it to me."

"What if I don't want to?"

"So you _do_ have it..."

"I never said that."

"But you implied it."

A cough came from behind them, making Tia jump in surprise. Shay, however, didn't react, as though he knew there was someone else there already. Liam stood behind them with his hood up and an unamused look on his face as he gazed upon the two of them.

"I send you out here to check on the captain and I come out here to find you bickering with him instead." He accused, crossing his arms in a rather stern manner she hasn't really seen on him before. It almost reminded her of Chevalier.

She faltered a little, unsure of what to make of his attitude. "Uh, sorry?" She offered awkwardly.

"Ah, don't worry." Shay assured, glancing at his best friend briefly before looking back to Tia. "He gets like this when he is feeling a little under the weather."

Tia smiled sheepishly, deciding to step back and let Liam take his usual spot next to Shay. He gave her an apologetic look, looking genuinely out of sorts as he took her place and leaned on the banister.

Shay frowned at him. "What brings you back up here, Liam?"

"Couldn't sleep." He responded bluntly. "The fresh air will do me better than being cooped up inside anyway."

"Mm. Do you think the mentor-" Shay started, but was immediately interrupted when a repetitive buzzing sound suddenly came from inside Tia's pocket, followed by the chorus to 'Lifted' by CL.

" _I got myself a 40_

 _I got myself a shorty_

 _And I'm about to go get lifted_

 _Yes, I'm about to go get lifted."_

A few of the sailors that were closest to them started to glance around, looking for the source of strange music. Tia scrambled to grab her phone out of her pocket, almost dropping it onto the floor in her rush - someone was calling her but she didn't recognize the number. Liam and Shay were peering at the device with a look akin to shock, not expecting the small object to produce sounds, and loud ones at that.

"I have no idea how the heck this is happening but-" She reached out for their shoulders and pushed them together so she could hide away from any prying, "Hello?" She answered quietly, keeping her voice down just in case.

A familiar voice spoke, " _Hello? Tia?_ "

"Mark? Is that you?" She asked, her eyes widening in excitement.

" _Yeah... Yeah, it's me. I'm calling from my aunt's phone._ " He replied, sounding both confused and relieved at the same time. " _Where are you? I've been trying to get in contact with you for weeks!_ "

"I'm on holiday!" She blurted, slapping a slightly ashamed hand over her forehead a few seconds later.

"... _You're on holiday._ " He deadpanned, not sounding at all convinced.

"Uh, y-yep." She knew it was fruitless - lying to Mark. He could read her like a book, even without being in each other's presence.

" _Either you can tell me the truth or I will hack your phone and pinpoint your exact location._ "

She let out a heavy sigh, staring at the two backs in front of her. "Alright, alright, I'm not on holiday…" There was silence from the other side of the line, an obvious cue for her to keep going. "I've gone sailing in the North Atlantic." Not exactly a lie, but not exactly the full truth either.

Loud laughter erupted from Mark, " _You - Tia Ramirez - gone sailing? Like… on the water?_ "

"Yes, Mark. That's generally how people go sailing."

" _Oh, come on! You know what I mean!_ " He coughed out, having laughed so abruptly that it made his voice all croaky. " _Anyways, why in the hell have you gone sailing in the North Atlantic of all places? Australia has the perfect places to go sailing._ "

"Listen," she said, peeking over Liam and Shay's shoulders to check if anyone was looking their way - no one. So far, so good. "I can't explain it all to you right now but it all ties back to that book I asked you about a few weeks ago."

" _What does some random book you found have to do with your sudden disappearance?_ "

"Oh, it has _everything_ to do with my sudden disappearance." She said, emphasizing on 'everything' with a roll of her eyes. "I will explain some other time, okay? I gotta go."

" _Alright, but you better call me or I'll be mad! And I will track you down! You know I can do it, Tia Ramirez!_ "

"Yes, yes, I got it. _Adios_!"

She hung up the call, slumping her shoulders and letting out a partially frustrated sigh. That went better than she expected it to but it still wasn't to her liking. Who knew what her best friend was thinking of her right now? She should've persisted on the holiday idea and made him promise not to hack during these 'stressful times'.

"Lass?" Shay piped up in a questioning tone, glancing at the phone over his shoulder. "What's happening? Why were you talking to that thing?"

"It's called a phone." She reminded him, shoving it back into her pocket. "And I was talking to my friend, Mark."

"That's impossible. How could you talk to someone who is not here?" Liam wondered, taking this as his cue to move away from Shay and turn to look at her properly. Shay followed suit, nodding his head in agreement at his friend's statement.

"You'd be surprised with what this bad boy can do." She pointed out with a shrug of her shoulders. "I should probably get back to the book..."

Shay nodded. "Good idea, lass."

* * *

 _January 20th, 1752 | The captain's cabin_

"So," Shay began, closely inspecting the phone that was now cradled in his left palm, "You're saying that, with this, I could talk to someone halfway across the Atlantic right now?" He asked, tilting his head towards Tia for confirmation.

"Yup." Tia nodded, taking a sip from her cup. "All in a matter of seconds."

"That… That's amazing." Shay breathed, pressing the home button like he'd seen Liam do before when they were still aboard _The Gerfaut_. The screen lit up, except Shay was ready for the brightness this time, so he simply blinked when the picture of her best friend came up, subconsciously committing the face to memory.

"That's not all it can do either." She added.

"Oh?" He prompted, sliding the device across the table to her.

She unlocked it, moving out of her chair so she could make her way behind the desk and next to Shay. She slightly crouched behind him so her face was level with his then held the phone up in front of them. "Smile!"

"What?" Shay said, turning his head to gaze at her in confusion and accidentally brushing his nose on her cheek. He flinched, backing his head away in mild surprise. He hadn't expected her to be _that_ close.

She stood up. "Wow, that went to shit real quick." She commented, eyes dancing over the photo in amusement. Upon seeing his confusion, she lowered the phone so he could take a look for himself.

He gazed at the screen with fascination - Tia had a wide smile on her face as she looked up to the camera lens, her dimples making themselves known while his own confused face had only just turned into her cheek, almost appearing as if he was about to plant a kiss there. Not to mention, he was halfway through blinking so he looked quite ridiculous.

"I didn't realize you had dimples, lass." Shay observed, throwing a glance up at her cheeks as if to double check.

She smiled down at him, lightly poking at her dimples with her index finger. She pouted and shook her phone in front of him before pulling it away, "You ruined the photo."

"Give me a word of warning next time, lass, and maybe it won't turn out so bad."

"A warning for what?" She scoffed, returning to her seat. "You literally had one job."

Shay couldn't hold back the loud laugh that erupted from his mouth at her words, shoulders shaking from the force of it. It was at this moment that Liam walked in with their plates of food.

"What's so funny?" He asked, taking a seat in the other guest chair and sliding their plates to them.

"Hold up." She said, scooting her chair closer to Liam's and lifting her phone in the air again, "Smile!"

There was no response from Liam except a small quirk of his lips as he glanced at her in confusion. She looked at the outcome with mild disappointment. "Man..."

"You literally had one job, Liam." Shay mimicked, giving a few more chuckles before finally settling down again.

"You _both_ had one job." Tia stated matter-of-factly. She waved her hand, "Well, back to what else my phone can do - it can act as a map, a dictionary, if you have internet, which is another story completely, then you can find out pretty much anything in the world. You can play games on it. Um, what else…" She trailed off, tapping a finger on her chin in thought. There wasn't much else she could really list off considering they wouldn't know what half the stuff was - like TV or movies, for example.

"Was it not playing music before, lass? When your friend was 'calling' you?" Shay offered, picking at a piece of dried meat before popping it into his mouth.

"Oh yeah, that too."

"Does all the music from your time sound like that?" Liam queried, joining in on the conversation.

"Oh no, not all of it." She said, shaking her head. "I'd show you guys some other stuff but-" she stood up with a yawn, "-we can save that for another day. I'm tired as hell."

Shay hummed in agreement, letting out a yawn of his own as he watched his friend rise from his chair as well. "Remember to be up early. We reach the homestead tomorrow." He announced.

Tia nodded tiredly and gave him a goofy smile, "Did I mention my phone makes for a great alarm as well?"

Liam shook his head and placed a hand on her shoulder to guide her out of the cabin. "See you in the morning, Shay."

"Aye. See you in the morning."

* * *

 _January 21st, 1752 | Davenport Homestead_

An almost inaudible gasp was heard when Tia took her first step off the ship and onto the sturdy docks below her. It had been just under a month since she'd last stood on something solid and _non-swaying_ that she almost let out a few tears of happiness at the realization she was on land again. She dropped to the floor, rolling onto her back with her arms and legs spread out wide beside her, her bag dropping next to her with a small thump.

"Holy shit." She whispered, ignoring the mixed reactions she was getting from the sailors who were trying not to step on her as they also made their way onto the docks. She quietly groaned and shut her eyes, trying to fight off the sudden wave of dizzy spells. She could faintly hear two pairs of boots approaching her, stopping right next to her head.

"Are you alright, lass?" She heard Shay ask.

She squinted up at him before groaning again and curling into a ball. "I don't feel so good."

"As expected for your first time sailing." Liam hummed, glancing to his friend who was gazing down at the girl with a mix of sympathy and amusement. He clapped him on the back, "Why don't you go let the others know we have a visitor while I help her out. I'll meet you up there."

"Alright." Shay said, handing the crate he was holding to a passing crew member and making his way down to the dirt tracks.

Liam watched the retreating form of his friend before crouching down next to the teenage girl with a sigh. "Do you need help standing up?"

"N-no, I got it…" She murmured, slowly lifting herself onto her feet. She went to reach for her bag, but grimaced as the world slowly tilted sideways, her body beginning it's descent to the floor again, when Liam's hand came to rest on the small of her back as a means of steadying her. She watched him grab her bag and hang it over his shoulder. "Thanks."

He nodded and removed his hand from her back. "Come now, let's get you up the hill."

"Oh, _just_ what I wanted to hear."

Tia didn't really pay much attention to her surroundings as she let Liam guide her up the dirt tracks, too focused on keeping her upright and not falling face-first into the floor. That wouldn't make a good impression on the people she was supposed to meet. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't really had the mind to ask anyone exactly _who_ these people were - all she'd heard was the term 'mentor' being thrown around every now and then. A nervous feeling started to creep into her gut at the prospect of meeting new faces, the feeling of being alone in a new place slamming into her mind again.

She abruptly dug her heels into the ground, standing there until Liam noticed she was no longer beside him and looked back. "Do I have to do this?" She blurted, a hand coming to flick away the hairs that were now blowing into her face from the oncoming wind.

He lifted a curious brow and crossed his arms, "Do what?"

"Meet these people - this mentor of yours…" She answered quietly.

"Of course you do." He bluntly replied, sighing when Tia shifted her eyes to the floor. "It's alright, Tia. They're good people. Trust me." He started walking again, "Come on."

She reluctantly trudged after him, never lifting her gaze off the floor until a large shadow fell over the two of them, the sounds of talking slowly reaching her ears. A huge red-bricked manor stood in front of them, surrounded by small bushes and trees that were gently swaying with the wind. The morning sun glinted over the top of the roof as she glanced up at it, making it seem all the more grander.

"Welcome to the Davenport Homestead."

Tia flinched, quickly snapping her eyes to a dark-skinned man who now stood before her, a curious look in his eye as he gave Tia a quick once-over. He was wearing similar garb to that of Liam and Shay's, except it was a faded white, and it had obviously been put to many years of use. She blinked and resisted the urge to giggle, ' _Eddie Murphy, is that you?'_

Liam stepped forward and motioned a hand to the man, "Tia, this is Achilles Davenport, the owner of this land and our mentor."

Her eyes widened at his words, immediately straightening her posture and giving the man a wide, yet timid smile. "Oh, uh, nice to meet you. I'm Tia... but you already knew that…" She quietly trailed off, resisting the urge to run and hide somewhere.

Regardless of her awkward introduction, Achilles gave her a small smile. "It's nice to meet you, Tia." Seeing as the girl wasn't going to respond, he continued, "My student tells me you are in need of assistance?"

"U-uh, student?" She stammered, her eyes flickering to Liam for help. He mouthed Shay's name to her. "Oh, yes! Yeah, I do need help."

' _Real smooth, girl. Why don't you just go ahead and start twerking to further his crumbling opinion of you?'_

Achilles smile faltered, a little thrown off by her incredibly nervous demeanour. He glanced at Liam, silently requesting that he be left alone with the girl. "Ah… Come, let's discuss this elsewhere."

He led the way, Tia almost having a heart attack when Liam handed her her bag and began to walk off in the other direction, leaving her alone with the man. Once they were inside the manor, he led her to a room where a large dining table sat in the centre, a long red table runner resting over the top of it. He motioned for her to sit on one of the many chairs while he took a seat at the head of the table, comfortably leaning forward on his elbows. Not wanting to appear rude, she took the seat adjacent to his.

"I have been informed that you are not… _of_ this time. That much is obvious if I were to go by your hair colour." He stated after a small moment of them sitting there, eyes flitting over her silvery-lilac locks with mild fascination. "Tell me - how is it that you arrived here?"

She took a breath to calm her jittery nerves, and leaned back in her chair to appear more relaxed. After all, she had no real reason to be scared - Achilles seemed nice enough.

"Well," She began, "It all started when I found this book." She pulled it out of her bag and handed it over to him. "I found it while I was at work and thought it must've been someone else's until I saw my name inside. Not a lot of people share the same name as mine so I immediately thought it was my friend trying to mess with my head."

He nodded in acknowledgement, running the tips of his fingers over the matte cover of the book before flipping open the hard cover. "Hm, so it was not your friend's doing then?"

"No, he had no idea what I was going on about. Whatever _did_ do this to me is not… human, I don't think." She revealed, bouncing her knees when he gave her a strange glance.

She had only come to this conclusion a few nights ago, opting to keep it to herself rather than tell the other two. Why she was telling this to someone she just met - she had no clue, but she figured that if this guy was going to help her then it would be best to tell him everything she could. After all, Liam, Shay and Chevalier seemed to think him capable of achieving such a feat.

"If not human, then what?" He wondered, flicking through the next few pages. He pointed a curious finger to the passages. "Is this your writing?"

"Hm? No, it's that thing's." She answered him quietly, hoping that such use of terms wouldn't come back to bite her in the butt. The voice person seemed to have eyes everywhere considering it somehow knew about her 'progress' without actually being present.

"I see." He hummed, placing the book down on the table. "And you communicate with them through this book?"

"Well, I'm _supposed_ to. It told me I have to use my mind to write rather than the usual pen. Quill, I mean." She corrected, momentarily forgetting what they used in this time period. "But I still haven't figured out how to do that yet, as simple as it seems."

"Perhaps we could try putting you in different scenarios, see what might trigger the book into cooperating with you." He offered, his eyes landing on the book again. He gestured to the page it was open to, "Do you know what those symbols mean?"

' _The symbols again? What's so important about them?'_

"Not a clue." She replied, watching as he nodded his head slowly, processing her answer.

Why did it seem like he was slightly disappointed with her answer as Liam, Shay and Chevalier had been? Did this symbol hold something of importance back in these times? She began to mentally flick through her memories of history class, trying to remember if there were any significant symbols that Aswald had drawled on about but nothing came to mind. Besides, she was pretty sure she would remember seeing symbols like these.

"Well, perhaps we should start with the one objective for now and work our way through this, hm?"

"Yeah, sure... To be honest, I'm just grateful that I have people trying to help me. God knows what would have happened if Chevalier hadn't saved me when he did." She muttered, shivering at the thought of the soldiers back in Fort Baie Rouge.

"Indeed." He agreed, a rather grim look crossed his face before he stood from his chair. "For today, however, I shall have you shown around by Liam where you will have the chance to familiarize yourself with your surroundings. I gather you might be here for a while."

"I'm cool with that." She agreed, garnering a strange look from Achilles. She put the book back in her bag and stood up with a sheepish smile. "Slang from my time."

He brushed the matter off with a small nod and began leading the way outside again, where they found Liam leaning against the wall near the door, his arms crossed and head hanging back as he enjoyed the morning sun. Achilles immediately began to relay the plans to Liam while Tia took the chance to take in her surroundings now that her mind wasn't spinning from the nausea of being on land again.

It was truly a beautiful sight to behold, having not seen so much _nature_ in a long time, especially not since she lived in a city where it screamed 'man-made' pretty much everywhere you looked. She appreciatively glanced around with a growing smile, ' _Dad would love it here, for sure…'_

She had just started to turn her attention back to Achilles and Liam when her eyes came across Shay at the last second. He was talking to someone in the distance - a woman in a purple dress. She couldn't really see their faces since they were too far away, but she could gather that they were close friends, judging by the way the woman was running her hand over his shoulder as she walked around him.

' _I wonder who she is... Shay's girlfriend maybe?'_ She wondered, focusing her attention back onto the other two with one last fleeting glance at the young Irishman and his lady-friend.

"-will stay with Hope for the time being. I believe she would be the most appropriate for Tia to lodge with during her stay." Achilles said, before nodding his head at Tia and walking back into the manor.

She watched the door click shut behind him before looking back to Liam. "What?" She said upon seeing his small grin.

He shook his head with one last chuckle escaping his lips, "You didn't get any of that, did you?"

"Not really." She admitted with an embarrassed laugh, fingers starting to play with a piece of fabric that had loosened over the weeks from her constant fidgeting. She perked up, "So, you're my tour guide right?"

He nodded, a smile coming back to his lips when she performed a small jump in the air out of excitement and relief. "Come on then. Let's get to it." He said, leading the way.

They spent the next hour or so walking around the homestead with Liam pointing out things of significance - a small well where the fresh water was located, several campfire locations where they would sometimes gather and sit around at night, the cliff edge that overlooked the ships that would come in and out of the area - which now included Shay's new vessel, The Morrigan. Just to the right of the manor there were stables filled with many different animals who all watched the two as they walked by. The horses had immediately caught Tia's eye, a small look of awe gracing her face as they came across the large animals.

' _I've already decided on my favourite activity while I'm here.'_ She had thought, promising herself to come back when she had the time. Surprisingly enough, she's never seen real horses up close before. The closest she'd been to one would be seeing them at the circus once - and they were just ponies.

After that, they had made their way down the dirt track, crossing a small wooden bridge before coming to an area filled with various small houses. There were a lot more people in this area than up near the manor, all beginning to go about their daily business as the morning went by. She noticed there were a few strangely dressed people that stuck out from the rest - the yellow in their uniforms were mostly to blame for that.

"This is where we all the homesteaders stay including Shay, Chevalier and myself." Liam told her, finally coming to a stop in the centre of the area. He shrugged, "Well, when we're here at least."

"Nice, nice." She nodded, watching as a woman (who was also dressed in the strange yellow attire) tried to get her small dog to calm down as she brought it some food.

"You will be staying here-" he said, nudging his head to the house that sat right beside them, "-with Hope. She's a good friend of ours and also does the same work as us."

She glanced over the house with interest. It was a cute little thing, it was - baby blue and surrounded by a white picket fence with several pots of flowers blooming on the windowsills. She certainly wouldn't have a problem staying here if it was with another girl - in fact, that's even better. She missed communicating with people of her own gender, especially since she had been stuck with a bunch of men on a ship for almost a month.

"I'll leave the house touring to Hope. She'll probably get mad at me if I dare to go inside without her permission."

"Oh, okay." Tia shrugged and clapped her hands together. "Let's go find her then."

"Lucky for you, you won't have to look very far." The woman she had seen earlier with Shay approached them with said young man lingering behind her. "Hope Jensen. Pleased to meet you." She greeted, reaching a hand out towards Tia.

Tia took a few seconds to analyse the woman - she _was_ going to be staying with her after all. The woman was certainly much younger than her matured voice sounded, in fact, she was probably around the same age as Tia herself, perhaps a little bit older. She had medium-length brown hair with two loose strands hanging in front of her face which was lightly layered with fair makeup, a small beauty mark sitting on her left cheek. She held herself with an air of confidence around her, almost making Tia want to shy away from her - it didn't help that Tia felt dirty and particularly _manly_ next to her considering she was still in her baggy sailor attire.

"Uh, hey. I'm Tia Ramirez." She gently grasped Hope's hand, receiving a firm squeeze from the young woman in return.

Hope smiled and threw a subtle glance behind her, "Yes, Shay had the pleasure in telling me all about you and your situation."

Shay simply stared at Tia as she shifted her eyes to him in question. She wasn't expecting the charming smile he gave her, quickly looking back to Hope before she could make anything of it. She stood there quietly, not really knowing what to say.

Hope didn't seem to notice her slightly awkward demeanour, instead leaning towards Tia with a secretive smirk on her face, "I'm simply glad to have another female around. Spend too much time with these two and it gets to your head after a while."

Liam and Shay's mouth dropped open in slight offense. "I get what you mean." Tia giggled, immediately warming up to the young woman.

Hope gestured towards her house with a laugh, "Then shall we?"

Tia had the feeling they were going to get along _just_ fine.

* * *

 **A/N: I feel like this is probably going to be a much longer story than I intended because I am already 9 chapters/40k+ words in and I've only just touched the start of Rogue. XD Oh well, I adore Shay too much to deprive him of a long story. What I should deprive him of, however, is all the freakin' errors and mistakes I made in the past chapters (and most likely this chapter too) - holy shite. I really need to spruce up on my editing skills… :')**

 **Thank you, thank you, thank you for the new favourites, followers and reviews! They are super appreciated and it boosts my drive for this story. Until next time~ ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter 10**

 _January 21st, 1752 - Midday | Davenport Homestead_

Tia sighed in content as she took a few steps into the small stream, the cool water gently drifting around her calves, effectively removing the top layer of dirt that had been building up ever since she popped up into this time period. To say she was simply relieved would be an understatement, for no words could truly explain how her inner city girl was squealing in complete and utter content at the thought of finally bathing after such a long time.

"Thank you Hope." She muttered quietly, reminding herself to thank the young woman properly when she returned to the house.

After the two of them had left the befuddled Liam and Shay outside, Hope had sat her down in front of a hearth to fend off the cold morning air and also to have a hot cup of tea (at least Hope had had one, Tia was more of a Milo or hot chocolate kind of person) over a small 'breaking the ice' session. Hope had asked her various questions about where she comes from, how she got here and how long she'd been here for. It was almost as if Shay had not told her a thing at all but after Tia voiced her confusion, Hope had simply said that she wanted to hear it from the very person herself rather than go off the words of a brash young man like Shay.

It was almost an hour into their getting to know each other when Tia had begun to whine about not having a bath for almost a month. Hope had simply laughed and given her directions to the very stream she was now sitting in. It was a nice private area where she could bathe herself in peace - at least that was what Hope had told her. There was no actual 'cover' that she could hide behind if someone suddenly decided to pop up on her so she simply stripped down to her bra and panties, leaving her dry clothes hanging on a random tree branch that was sticking out of a particularly short tree. She would have to ask Hope about another set of clothes she could use - perhaps borrow a set of her own since they were roughly around the same size, Hope being a tiny bit taller than herself.

The thought of acquiring a new set of clothes brought her mind to the topic of her own independence in this era. She had no clue how things worked around here. She couldn't simply go online and hand in a resume, or ask her parents to support her for a little bit while she searched around for a job - she was on her own now and the feeling almost overwhelmed her to the point of tears, but she had quickly corrected her attitude and gave herself a small pep talk before she could reach that stage.

' _Another thing I will have to ask Hope about, I guess…'_ She thought, finally snapping out of her dazed state so she could start scrubbing herself clean.

She was almost done with her hair when she heard a tiny crunching sound coming from behind her. She immediately stopped what she was doing and snapped her eyes to the trees and brush that lined the small stream. After a few moments of searching and finding nothing, she returned to her attention to her hair again. That was when she heard another sound, this time sounding like a small scuffle. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, lowering herself even further into the water until it came up to her neck.

"Who's there?" She called, not bothering to wonder if it was an animal or not - those noises sounded _too_ careful.

Not two seconds later, her eyes caught fast movement up in the trees, a figure coming to a stop in the tree just above the one which held her clothes. It was then that she could make out Shay's face in the semi-shade that was provided by both the trees and his hood. His eyes seemed to switch between gazing at the floor to looking at the sky, obviously refusing to look at her in her semi-naked state - not that he knew that (she hoped for his sake, at least).

"Lass." He muttered in greeting, eyes still dancing everywhere but at her.

"What are you doing here, Shay?" She asked in a slightly irritated tone - she was hoping to catch a few hours on her own after this, coming to accept the fact that these people probably won't let her out of their sight after this. Seems she can't even take a bath without having someone around.

Shay slowly removed his hood and leaned his back on a sturdier tree branch so he could change his footing in the arc of the tree to a more comfortable one, then chanced a quick glance down at her. His dark brown orbs connected with her own honey brown ones for less than a few seconds before he looked away again.

"I was practicing my free-running. I…" He rubbed his free hand at the back of his neck. "I had no idea you were here, lass..."

"Well, I guess that's pretty obvious." She stated, crossing her arms under the water, causing it to ripple around her before muttering in an accusing tone, "That doesn't explain why you were trying to hide though…"

"I was coming down here to get a drink of water-," he gestured down to her, sneaking another quick glance, "-until I accidentally spotted you, that is. I was going to disappear but then you heard me..."

She hummed, not taking her eyes off of his form for a second. He seemed to be telling the truth but that didn't stop her from being a little suspicious. After all, Shay could have simply kept going and ignored her, he didn't _have_ to stop. She shook her head at these thoughts - Shay didn't really strike her as the openly perverted type. Not unless it was subtle or welcomed, at least.

"Well?" She said after a while, lifting her hands out of the water to make small shooing motions with her hands. "Go on then. I'm not here to perform for you."

Shay's hesitant demeanour seemed to disappear at her words, a small smirk appearing on his lips, though his eyes kept to the floor, "A shame, lass. I would have-"

' _I take that back, he is perverted.'_ She thought unamusedly. She cut him off before he could finish, "Go away!"

He immediately resumed his free-running after hearing her annoyed shout, but not without a cheeky laugh escaping his mouth. After she was sure that he was gone, she huffed and quickly finished washing up before getting out of the water. She didn't really want to dry out in the sun after that ordeal so she simply chucked her clothes on over her wet form and started the trek back to Hope's house.

"Hope, I'm back." She announced upon walking in the front door. There was no response. "Hope?"

"I'm in here."

She followed the sound of Hope's voice to find her in what appeared to be her bedroom. She gazed around in awe when she stepped into the unexpectedly large room, immediately taking in the beautiful red and purple accents that Hope had set up amongst the dark wooden furniture. In the future, this would probably be something you would see in a home decor magazine, it was that beautiful. Hope sure knew what she was doing.

Hope looked up from where she was seated in front of her vanity table. "Tia, good, you're back. I have prepared some clothes for you to wear until you acquire some of your own. You can find them in the guest room where you'll be staying - just down the hall there."

"Oh sweet, thank you. Read my mind." Tia sighed, rearing back out the door with a smile, "I'll be right back."

"Take your time." Hope said, turning back to her mirror.

Tia shuffled awkwardly down the hallway, humming as she went. Her clothes were starting to feel uncomfortable because she had still been wet before she put them on, and now her clothes were sticking to her skin. Once she entered the room, she gently shut the door behind her and walked over to the bed. Hope had three dresses spread out neatly on the bed, all of different colours but mostly of similar design.

"Damn it, I forgot about those things..." She muttered, eyeing the corset that was sitting innocently to the side along with the stockings and a pair of dark brown, knee-high lace-up boots - similar to Hope's. She walked back over to the door and peeked her head out, "Um, Hope? Could I possibly have your help?"

She heard Hope shuffling around in her room before she came waltzing out with a small but amused smile, "I was waiting for you to ask that."

Tia simply shrugged and moved aside so she could come in. "We don't wear corsets in my time. At least, not for the purposes it serves now."

"Alright, well..." Hope started, waving her hands at Tia's clothes as she picked up what looked like a white dress shirt for women. "Let's get you out of those men's clothes and into this shift over here."

"Alright." Tia paused before sheepishly looking Hope in the eye. "Can you please, uh, look away?"

Hope sighed and faced the opposite wall while Tia quickly undressed out of her damp clothes, gently taking the white shift that Hope was holding and slipping it on, followed by putting on her stockings which reached a few centimetres above her knees. After that, Hope helped her put on the ivory petticoat, which sat around her waist and flowed down to her ankles. Then came the corset, or "stay" as Hope had put it. Tia shifted uncomfortably when Hope wrapped it around her front and began tightening the laces.

"Relax. I won't do it too tight." Hope assured, taking notice of the way Tia was holding her breath.

"Sorry." Tia immediately coughed in an embarrassed manner and relaxed her tensed body.

"Did you choose which gown you prefer to wear?" Hope asked, walking over to the bed after she was done with the corset and running her hands over one of them - a pale pink and white gown that looked way too _sweet_ for Tia's liking. As nice as it looked, it just wasn't Tia's style.

"I think the middle one looks the nicest." She admitted with a thoughtful hum.

It was a simple light blue gown with long sleeves, a modest neckline and minimal frills. It was something Tia wouldn't mind wearing. For now, at least. She didn't feel like sacrificing her sweater and jeggings to the eighteenth century just yet. Who knows? There might be a time where she will actually need them.

A few minutes later, Tia stood fully dressed in front of a full-length mirror. She sighed downheartedly at the sight. Her mum would've loved to see her in a dress like this, even if it was just a picture. Maybe she should take one of herself later so she could show her mum - if she ever gets to go home, that is. She doesn't see that happening anytime soon.

Tia glanced at Hope in the mirror, who was looking at Tia's apparel with approval. She spoke up, successfully drawing the young woman's attention to her face, "Hey… I'm just gonna go for a walk, if that's cool with you."

Hope nodded, "Go ahead. I have to head out and run a few errands for Achilles anyway so I won't be back until late in the evening." Hope was almost out the door when she called over her shoulder, "Don't forget about your boots. It's cold out there."

"Ah yeah, thank you. See you later."

She waved to her as she stepped out, her small smile slipping off her face the second Hope's form disappeared around the corner. Sitting on the bed, she slowly reached down and laced up the boots in a loose and lazy manner. She then stood up, wiggling her toes a little bit so she could test the comfort of her new temporary boots.

' _Funny how we are practically the same size.'_ She thought. ' _One less thing to worry over, I guess.'_

She ambled her way out of the house, her mind heavy with the thought of home. She missed her parents. She missed Mark. She missed warm showers. Hell, she even missed school at this point. She hated the fact that even though she was given answers, no matter how vague they had been, she still had no clue what the hell she was supposed to do and how it was going to get her home. These people were trying to help her, to the point of even offering her a place to stay and yet, she still felt all alone.

She eventually found herself near the large manor, it's looming form seeming even larger now that she was actually paying proper attention. It is truly a nice house though, and from what little she saw of the inside, she could also say it was pretty nice on the inside - not necessarily her style, but still nice all the same. She wondered if Achilles stayed here alone? It seemed too big only to house one person. Surely, he had someone else in there with him - perhaps a family?

She shook her head before her curiosity could get the better of her and turned around with the intention to head back to Hope's since she had nothing to do, when she spotted Chevalier in the distance. He was striding his way towards her, looking tired but still as intimidating as ever. It made her question whether the man was ever _truly_ happy - a frown or a look of scorn seeming to be the only way she can remember his face.

"G'day sir." She greeted, giving him an inviting smile when he finally stopped in front of her.

"What happened to calling me Chevalier, eh?" He asked with a raise of the brow, his frown still tugging away at his lips. He certainly wasn't one to beat around the bush.

She nervously rubbed her arm, "U-uh, I only did it that one time because-"

"You may continue to call me that if you like." He interjected, obviously not in the mood to hear her rambling, yet still feeling generous enough to give her the privilege of first name basis with him.

' _What a strange man.'_ She thought, a question lingering on the tip of her tongue as he swiftly proceeded to make his way past her without another word. ' _He could use a nice, warm hug...'_

* * *

The afternoon had finally rolled past, the sun slowly making its descent into the horizon as the bright blue sky had begun to turn various shades of pink and purple. Quiet shuffling sounds could be heard as Tia lightly danced her way towards the door to Hope's abode, her movements slightly restricted due to the tightness of the corset and the layers of her skirt. She was quite a sight for the people who happened to spot her walking down the path, after all, hip-hop based dance moves probably weren't the most _ideal_ kind of movements for a young lady of these times.

She was in a significantly better mood than when she first left the house this morning, having gone to see the horses in the barn after Chevalier had left her standing on her own. One thing she hadn't expected was for them to be so big - she almost pissed herself when one of them loudly whinnied right next to her ear. After getting over the initial shock of their sizes, she had started to pet and coo at them as one would to a newborn baby. There was one particular horse that had caught her eye - a beautiful pinto mare that kind of reminded her of Rain from the horse movie, _Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron._ Perhaps she could ask one of the others to teach her how to ride when they had the free time.

Tia walked into the house with a small grimace, gently reaching around to rub at her back with light strokes. It had only been a few hours and the corset was already starting to give her problems. Moving into her new bedroom, she sat down on the stiff bed and heaved a breath - which, of course, didn't come out as strong as she wanted it to due to her new restrictions in movement.

" _I got myself a 40_

 _I got myself a shorty_

 _And I'm about to go get lifted."_

She blinked, her eyes immediately drifting over to her bag where her phone was ringing away in an obnoxious manner. ' _I really need to turn that thing onto vibrate only.'_ She thought, reaching over and grabbing her phone out of the front pocket. She clicked the answer button, flinching when a loud shout sounded from the speaker.

" _Oh! Oh, hi stranger! What's up? What are you doin'?"_

"M-Mark. I-"

" _You said you would contact me two weeks ago, Tia! Do you know how worried I've been?"_ He uttered out the last part in a quieter tone of voice, she could almost picture him running a hand through his hair in frustration. " _And while you've been off doing god knows what, your parents still won't tell me a thing about where you've gone. I know something is wrong, Tia!"_

She immediately began to console him, shifting herself so she could lay down on her bed - this would most likely be a long talk, "Alright. Alright, I get it and I'm sorry. Please just… Calm down and let me explain."

" _Well, this better be good."_ He grumbled, " _I_ have _been waiting for two weeks."_

She chose not to retort back to him, knowing nothing good would come out of a verbal fight with him - he has a sharper tongue than she has when it comes to situations like this.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush with this, Mark. I'm just gonna say what it is, and be done with it." She said, letting out a tired sigh. She was hoping that this day would come later, when she would better understand the situation she'd gotten herself into, but it seems luck was not on her side. "You remember how I was going about that book? Well, it has transported me back in time to the 1750's and I don't know how the hell I am going to get back."

Mark immediately took to her words with a loud laugh. " _Are you high? You honestly expect me to believe that that_ book _has taken you back in time? What's next - you have a pet unicorn?"_

"Mark, come on." She deadpanned, sitting up again. "I'm being serious here. You wanted the truth, you got it. I don't know how else to explain it, but that's how it is…"

She heard him let out a long sigh. " _You have to understand this from my point of view, chica. You... Do you even realize how crazy you sound right now? I mean, a magic book taking you back in time? You wouldn't even be able to talk to me right now if you were back in time, right? I mean, that's not possible._ Time-travel _is not possible."_

"Look, I know it sounds far-fetched but I can prove it to you! Give me a minute, I'll call you back." Tia exclaimed before hanging up and sliding off the bed. She ran back out of the house, almost bumping into a partially surprised Hope when she burst through the front door. However, before Hope could even open her mouth, Tia was jogging past her, "Can't talk! Gotta go!"

If Hope called out to her, she didn't catch it as she was already halfway down the path towards the small bridge that would lead towards the homestead. She almost tripped a few times since night had moved in and she didn't know the terrain that well, but she quickly regained speed after she turned on the flashlight app, lighting up the path ahead of her. Luckily, not many people were out at the moment so they wouldn't see her running past them like a madman with a peculiar light source that shouldn't exist yet.

She was just reaching the homestead when she spotted a lone figure sitting before a small bonfire not too far from where she was. She quickly pressed the back of her phone into the skirt of her dress and covered it with her arm, obscuring the bright light from their view before they could notice her. She quietly continued to scurry past in hopes that the person wouldn't hear her and instead continue to sit peacefully in front of the fire. She was just about to pick up her sprint again when she heard a deep voice call out to her.

"Lass? Why the rush?" She immediately recognized the accent to be Shay's.

In normal situations, she probably would have stopped and explained herself, but Mark was waiting for her and she had already made him wait two weeks longer than he really should have. With that thought in mind, she continued to pick up the pace until she was into a fast run again. She whipped her phone in front of her, lighting up the path that was slowly growing more narrow and rocky as she got closer and closer to her destination. She finally stumbled onto the docks with a weak gasp, a dull pain shooting up the back of her spine from her waist.

' _Guess this is my punishment for running with a corset on. Curse this stupid thing.'_ She sourly thought, leaning forward and resting her hands on her knees in an attempt to breathe easier. It didn't help that her stamina was pretty low after doing zero physical activities for almost a month, but it lessened the pain a little.

Shay's heavy footsteps pounded on the dirt behind her before they came to a slow stop right in front of her. She stared at his dirty boots as he spoke up, "What are you doing out here, lass?"

"I-I have to take... a picture of... y-your ship." She stammered, the air still escaping her lungs at a faster rate than she could process. She blinked up at him, wonder crossing her mind when she saw how he hadn't even broken a sweat or looked puffed out in the slightest.

' _The school sports department would've loved him, for sure…'_ She marvelled before dropping her head back down in exhaustion.

"My ship?" Shay tilted his head in confusion, eyes trailing to the said ship that gently rocked in the water beside them. "What do you need a picture of The Morrigan for?"

Tia shook her head and slipped out of her gown, ignoring the slightly startled look that Shay was giving her. All she cared about right at this moment was taking the damned corset off, or at least loosening it so she could breathe better. She reached behind herself to deliver a hasty tug at the strings that held the devilish contraption together, letting out a groan of frustration when she found that Hope had double-knotted it at the bottom, making it practically impossible for her to loosen it herself.

She glanced up at Shay with a pleading look and turned around so she could point at her back where the knot was, "I'd really appreciate it if you could help me with this..."

Shay's eyes travelled down from her face and down to the small of her back, "I'm not usually one to complain," He cheekily started, earning a glare from the girl before continuing, "But why are you disrobing? You'll freeze out here in this weather, lass."

Tia pouted and urgently waved her hands at her back again with the hopes that it would make him act faster, "Just, can you - this thing is killing me, dude. C'mon, please?"

There was only a small sigh in response from the young Irishman as he set to work on the knot that Hope had created, politely taking a step back when his deft fingers had finished the task. The pressure around Tia's waist and chest considerably lessened, her lungs dragging in a grateful breath of the salty ocean air that drifted around the two of them.

"Thanks." She said, removing the corset and dropping it to the wooden docks below their feet with a huff, "The things I put up with in this era."

Shay released a small chuckle at her actions and then gestured to his newly acquired vessel, "So, what is it you wanted with my ship then?"

"Oh, right. Uh, Mark doesn't believe that I travelled back in time so I figured if I send him a picture of this-" she lifted her phone up after making sure the flash was on and faced it towards _The Morrigan_ , thumb tapping the little circle on the screen once she found a suitable position, "-then he will believe me, for sure."

While Tia started to babble away at how the flash had only helped in the "tiniest way possible", Shay simply stood there with curious eyes shifting between the phone she held in her hands and his ship that innocently bobbed up and down in the water. He took a peek at the screen as she looked over what would be her fourth attempt at something she would call decent.

Shay, on the other hand, was simply amazed by how clear the images were coming out, having never seen anything like it before. Sketches and paintings were good, but this was _great_ \- it certainly would've helped with some of his missions where he had to locate a specific target. It didn't help that half the time, the target's sketches were going off the descriptions given by several people, so half the time they weren't even accurate.

"Are there no ships in your time, lass?" He inquired after watching her fiddle with her phone for a while longer, slowly trailing after her as she moved further down the docks to take yet another picture of _The Morrigan_.

"Oh, there are. Ones like this are practically non-existent though. Replicas are the closest things you can get to one of these." She stated, a triumphant grin slipping onto her face when she was finally satisfied with the outcome.

Shay hummed distractedly, her statement practically going in one ear and flying out the other as she began tapping several things on the screen, drawing his attention back to the phone once again. "What are you doing to it now?" He asked.

"I'm just editing it a little… Ready, watch this." She said with a little giggle, watching Shay's face contort into a confused expression when she put a rainbow effect over the picture. She laughed, eyes twinkling with amusement as she turned her head to look up at him. "I made your ship fabulous."

"I'm sure that would scare off any man who'd try to take her on, lass." He chuckled.

Tia giggled, removing the effect before sending the final photo to Mark. It didn't fully display the whole ship but it still got a good enough view of the cannons on the side and a bit of the mast, as well as the wheel and captain's cabin. Hopefully this would be enough to convince her friend for now since she couldn't do much while it was dark out. He would have to wait until tomorrow if he wanted more proof. Her phone immediately began to ring in her hands again, the loud ringtone making the two of them jump in their places slightly.

Tia looked up to the young Irishman with pleading eyes, "Please be quiet while I talk to him..."

"Of course, lass." Shay replied with an oddly blank look on his face. Tia's lips formed a thin line as she gave Shay a suspicious look, to which he simply shrugged in response.

"Hello, Mark?" She answered, nervously chewing on her lip as she waited for his response.

" _Yeah, hi…"_

"So?" She began, "Do you believe me now?"

" _I guess so but it would've been more believable if you were actually in the photo, you know."_

She sighed. "Alright, then let's video chat and I'll show you."

" _Best thing I've heard from you in a while, chica."_ Mark chuckled, his mood doing a sudden one-eighty. " _I'll call you. Hang on."_

When her friend hung up, she immediately grasped Shay's forearm and tugged him closer to the ship. "Quick, I gotta get on." She squeaked, swinging his arm around in a show of urgency.

He frowned at her question, gently removing his hand from her grip, "It's freezing out here, lass. You should go home where it's-"

"Aw, thank you!" She interrupted, giving him a big smile.

He merely gave her a displeased look and proceeded to leap onto the side of the ship so he could reach over and help her up. Luckily, the ship was pretty close to the dock so she wasn't too scared about accidentally falling into the water, but it didn't stop her from darting nervous eyes at the small gap as she hitched her skirts up a little so she could climb easier.

She latched herself onto the ladder with a nervous laugh and began climbing, almost letting out a scream of surprise when Shay reached down and grabbed both of her wrists to pull her up the rest of the way. She clumsily scrambled onto the deck, crashing into Shay from the momentum and sending the two of them toppling over onto the floor.

Shay groaned, lifting his head up to look at Tia, who had landed right on top of him. A cheeky smile broke out onto his face as she moved off of him and allowed him to stand up, "I hope this isn't how you get all your men, lass."

She was about to give him a piece of her mind when her ringtone interrupted the two of them again, so she resorted to sending him a glare while she fumbled with her phone. She tapped the answer button for the video call and held the phone out at arm's length so she could walk around

Mark's face popped up on the screen, his cerulean eyes immediately lighting up when they caught sight of her. " _Hey, you."_ He greeted with a smile.

She couldn't control the grin that broke out onto her face at the sight of best friend. It was almost as if a small weight had dropped off her shoulders just by seeing him and hearing his voice - it was a small slice of home.

"Mark, hey…" She rejoiced, quickly picking herself up off the floor and dusting herself off. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Shay staring at her as she began walking around with her phone. She raised a brow when Mark's camera started shaking, lined up cars showing in the background as he strolled past them.

" _How are you, chica? I missed that face of yours around here."_

She shrugged, "As good as I can be for now, I guess. Where even are you?"

He winked at the camera, zooming it closer to his face so all she could see on her screen was his mouth as he whispered the next part, " _Well, I'm walking to my car right now, but I just had dinner at this super fancy restaurant. You jealous?"_

She giggled, "It depends. Was that 'fancy restaurant', McDonald's?"

The camera zoomed out again and displayed his blank face as he shook his head, " _You know me too well."_

"Yeah, that tends to happen when you become best friends with someone." She commented with a laugh. "Anyways, you ready for your proof?"

" _I've been ready for a while now, chica."_ He said, giving her a serious look. His camera shook a bit more as he unlocked his car and slid inside, propping his phone up onto the dashboard. " _Now, whatcha got for me?"_

"I'm on that ship - the one I sent a picture of before." She revealed, lifting the camera up in the air so he could get a better view of what was around her.

Mark leaned forward, squinting his eyes a little. He hummed and nodded his head a few times, " _Yep. Gotta be honest with ya, I can barely see a thing."_

"Well shit, Mark. I can't control the sun when the sun comes up." She nagged, laughing when he gave her a sarcastic 'ha ha' in response. "But honestly dude, this is as good as it'll get for now. Not until another day, at least."

" _I guess I can wait until then for my proof."_ He mumbled, propping his arms up on the wheel and leaning his chin on top of them. He squinted at his phone again, " _Um, what are you wearing?"_

"Oh yeah." She said, glancing down in surprise - she had completely forgotten about showing her clothes. She aimed the camera downwards, "Say hello to eighteenth century clothing, Mark."

" _Wait, didn't girls used to be big on wearing those corset things back then?"_

She groaned, "Don't even get me started on those. I took the stupid thing off since it was trying to kill me."

" _I'm surprised you're even wearing a dress, to be honest."_ Mark admitted with a chuckle, referring to the lack of skirts or dresses that she had in her closet.

"Hey, just because I don't wear dresses all the time, doesn't mean I don't like them." She retorted with a firm nod, facing the camera upwards again.

She shivered as a particularly strong gust of cold wind blew past her, the coldness easily seeping through the thin material of her shift. The petticoat wasn't too bad since it was layered with cotton and wool, but she could still feel the cold air on her legs and it was enough to make her teeth start chattering away.

" _Either way, I prefer you in your normal clothes. You look more… you."_ Mark said, a soft smile on his face.

Tia grinned and flashed a peace sign at the camera, provoking a light chuckle from her friend. She was just about to spin around so she could see what Shay was up to when she felt something gently being draped over her shoulders, making her blink in surprise. She turned around, seeing Shay walk off in the other direction, now jacket-less.

" _Who the heck was that?"_ Mark questioned, eyes now alert as he grabbed his phone off the dashboard and brought it close to his face. " _Did some dude just give you his jacket?"_

She nodded slowly, still slightly surprised at Shay's small act of chivalry. "Yeah…" She murmured, her eyes followed Shay's form as he walked over to a random cannon not too far from her and leaned on it with his back still facing her.

" _What? Who is he?"_

Tia snapped back to attention and looked back at the camera, tugging the warm jacket around herself. "... Shay." She hesitantly revealed, waiting to see if her friend would remember the name or not.

Surely enough, he did, his face contorting into one of suspicion and incredulity, " _Shay? Isn't that the name you were calling out to when you passed out that time?"_

"Y-yeah, but I-"

" _You are totally seeing this guy in secret! Is that why you've suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth?"_ Mark interjected, all too eager to jump into his assumptions.

She shook her head, "No, no, no. He's just one of the people who are helping me out. This is his ship I'm on, actually." She added, glancing around herself again.

" _Oh, so the dude's a pirate then?"_ He replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"No…" She paused in thought, "Well, not that I know of. I don't actually know what he is."

He scoffed and leaned back in his car seat, " _So you just decided to trust some random dude with your life while you are stuck in the past?"_

"It's not just him." She corrected bluntly, "There are a few others too. They saved me, actually…."

" _Please, enlighten me."_

She sighed as she delved into her story of how she first appeared here, her best friend repetitively cutting in halfway through sentences when he found something particularly interesting or strange.

' _This is going to be a looong night.'_ She thought.

* * *

 **A/N: Yoooo guys! So this is the longest time I've gone without updating, and let me tell you - I actually feel so bad. :') I couldn't help it though! My older sister bought me the Jack The Ripper DLC for Syndicate so I've practically been glued to the PS4 these past few days. I also rewrote this chapter like 3 times cause I hated it the first few times I did it XD**

 **There was a bunch of great reviews over the past few days though. I'm so glad that you all seem to like Tia. I was so worried about that as I started to take this story more seriously and write more chapters. I'm also super happy that you think my characterizations are good! That's what I was aiming for~ woo! :D Like I said in the last chapter, I think this story might be way longer than I thought it would be but that's a plus, right? ;) Shay deserves it. We need more Shay stories!**

 **P.S. I promise I will not abandon this story, okay guys? Not unless it is with good reason, which I do not have right now, so do not fret. I will complete the story - if not for you guys, then for myself. This is actually pretty therapeutic :')**

 **P.S.S. I apologize for any mistakes that may be present in this chapter. #ineedsleep XD**


	11. Chapter 11

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter 11**

 _February 20th, 1752 | Davenport Homestead_

Achilles glanced over his cup as he took a sip of tea, steam gently whirling around his features before he placed the cup back down on the table. He'd been watching Tia stare at the little book for almost half an hour now, the look of frustration on her face growing more and more apparent as time passed by. He could somewhat understand her situation, having been in similar ones himself, spending hours and hours pouring over various books and scriptures, only to leave with more questions about the pieces of Eden than what he arrived with.

When Shay had arrived back at the homestead with the others, he was certainly not expecting to be approached with news of a guest, especially not some teenage girl who had claimed to come from the future. At first, he had simply frowned at the young Irishman, half expecting him to start laughing and say that he was only kidding around, but the look on his face said he was completely serious.

Shay had then gone on to briefly explain the situation, mentioning that she had a book of some kind that somehow forced her to travel back in time to the exact fort where Chevalier happened to be restocking his supplies for _The Gerfaut_. That instantly gained his attention.

" _The book is a medium of sorts, then?"_ He had asked, receiving a somewhat uncertain shrug from Shay in return. There were no further answers from the young man as he excused himself, wandering down the hill to the training area, no doubt going to see his fellow assassin and teacher, Hope.

When the girl had shown up with Liam, his eyes had practically bulged out of his head when he had gotten his first glimpse of the girl. Her hair was a strange silvery purple that was by no means common amongst the colonies - or anywhere, for that matter. He had quickly brushed the matter off, however, choosing to ponder over it later.

What he really wanted to know more about was the book, which was the exact reason why Tia was sitting here with him in the manor's dining room right now. Over the past month, whenever Achilles found himself with free time (if that's what you could call it), he'd request for her presence in the manor to try and get it to work, but as of yet nothing was working. He even had a go at it himself but when he did, an intense pressure had built in his head and a heavy weight was dropped on his shoulders. It was like the book was giving him a warning - and it wasn't friendly. So here they were a week after that, both drinking from cups of hot tea to see if it would calm her nerves and hopefully get the book to cooperate with her.

Tia shifted in her seat, placing the book down with a little more force than necessary as she looked up to him, "Don't take this the wrong way but I really can't do this with you watching me like that."

His lips formed a thin line as he nodded in response. "None taken. I will leave the room then."

"Actually, I was wondering if I could stop for today…" She gave him a sheepish smile, "If that's alright with you."

Achilles immediately bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from frowning at the idea. Stopping was the last thing he wanted her to do. If this book truly had the powers that Tia and his students were claiming it had, then it could very well be something of importance or something that he should look into.

Tia seemed to sense his displeasure and sighed, "Maybe it's just me, but I feel like this isn't something that can be forced. Nothing has worked so far and maybe that's for a reason, you know?"

It was true, too. Ever since the first few unsuccessful attempts, she'd eventually came to the conclusion that the book just wasn't going to work as easily as they wanted it to, no matter what method they used - simple or complicated. She only wished there was another way to get in contact with that person that talked to her in both her nightmare and the book, but the former was something she wasn't quite willing to go through again and the latter, well, that's pretty self-explanatory. Maybe it's just something they needed to wait out.

Achilles nodded in thought. What she was saying made perfect sense but it didn't mean they had to stop altogether. He complied with her request, however, seeing as she seemed so eager to go do something else. "Yes, perhaps you are right."

They sat in further silence for a while longer before she coughed, bringing Achilles eyes back to hers once more. He shook his head with a light-hearted roll of his eyes, "Yes, yes. You may go."

"Thank you!" She said, jumping out of her chair and waltzing out of the house, leaving Achilles to shake his head once more as he went for another sip of his tea.

* * *

Tia stepped out of the manor and made her way down the trail with a relieved sigh, happy that she was no longer under the scrutiny of Achilles. She was in there for so long this time that it got to the point where she had thoughtfully dubbed him as 'Eddilles Davenmurph' since she couldn't get the image of Eddie Murphy out of her head whenever she saw him. It took her an enormous amount of self-control to keep her laughter in check after that thought, for she was sure he wouldn't appreciate it if she randomly burst out laughing in the middle of the session.

She was about halfway back to Hope's when a loud gunshot suddenly rang out through the area, making her flinch and cover her ears in shock, almost choking on her own spit from breathing in too sharply at the noise. Not too long after the shot went off, the figure of a large deer came limping out of the trees to her right and onto the path right in front of her. She stumbled backwards, the grip on her bag strap tightening slightly as shocked eyes briefly scanned the dark wound in its hind leg, before turning her head away with a horrified gasp. There was so much blood. The frightened animal let out one last fighting whimper before it dropped to the floor, a loud thud signifying its defeat.

"Ah, Tia. Just in time to see our catch of the day!"

Her brows furrowed when Chevalier and another man emerged from the trees where the deer had just stumbled through. She not-so-discreetly eyed the pistol that the Frenchman had gripped in his hand, the tip of the it still smoking slightly from its earlier use.

"What?" He asked in a curious manner, taking note of the slight fear in her eyes at the sight of the deadly weapon. "Never seen a gun before?"

She chose not to answer the rather snappy question, instead turning her attention to the other man who had silently crouched down next to the dead animal and put an end to its suffering by delivering a quick slash to its throat with his hunting knife. He muttered a few quick words under his breath before standing up and looking towards Chevalier with a nod.

It was at that moment that Tia recognized him as the native man she had seen here and there around the homestead, often seeing him speaking with Achilles or hanging around with Liam and Hope (Shay was always off doing his own thing - lord knows why she always took note of that). All in all, this was the first time she'd ever seen the man up close before, his unblinking eyes and lack of active communication was enough to make her squirm underneath his calculating gaze.

' _Freakin' hell. Is there anyone_ normal _around here?'_ She thought, shifting her weight onto one foot as she rubbed at her forearms.

Chevalier walked over to the two of them with a somewhat pleasant smile, "Ah yes, I believe the two of you have not had the pleasure in meeting yet? Kesegowaase, this is Tia Ramirez. Tia, Kesegowaase."

"Hey." She said, giving the man a small wave of greeting.

He simply nodded in response, confirming her assumption that he was a man of few words. That, or he was just terrible with new people, which she highly doubted. He didn't seem like a shy person, just reserved.

Chevalier spoke up again, thankfully before the silence could begin to turn awkward. "If you will excuse us, Kesegowaase and I must return to our hunt."

"Okay, uh, I guess I'll see you around then." Tia replied, trying to hide her relief at not having to try and make further conversation with the two. God knows she'd make it way more weird than it already was.

"Actually, yes." Chevalier added, calling the last part over his shoulder as he knelt down next to his friend and assisted him with the deer. "I have something for you."

She blinked. What could Chevalier possibly have for her?

"O-oh. Okay." She said, "Should I come find you later then?"

"No, I will bring it to you when I am finished here."

With that, Tia bid the two a final goodbye and continued the trek back to Hope's house. Upon her return, she went straight to her room and flopped onto her bed with a sigh, her bag dropping onto the floor beside the bed. Today had already been quite a day and it wasn't even lunchtime yet. Speaking of which, she still didn't know what she was going to eat, even after thinking about it nearly the whole time she was with Achilles. If anything, that was the main reason why she was so eager to get up and leave by the time an hour went past.

In fact, nearly the whole time she'd been at the homestead, she'd been living off random fruits and vegetables that Hope would leave in a basket on the kitchen table. Whether or not Hope was actually leaving them there for her, she had yet to find out since the woman was practically gone every day from early morning straight through till sundown. She figured Hope would have said something by now if they weren't hers to munch on but so far, she'd heard nothing.

Tia's stomach let out a loud grumble, effectively interrupting her train of thought. She groaned in response. As much as she loved fruit, she didn't think she could take another apple or pear just yet. What she really wanted was some hot and greasy fast food from her time period. Admittedly, she didn't have the healthiest diet out there, but that didn't stop her from enjoying it while she could.

' _What I wouldn't do for some fries right now…'_

Another rumble from her belly prompted her to slide off the bed and walk into the kitchen in search of something to eat. There wasn't a large amount of things she could work with but it was enough for her to be able to make a simple French toast with some fruit toppings. After placing all the ingredients onto the table, she began her search for some cooking equipment to use. She ended up grabbing a small pot to cook with since she couldn't find anything else, except for a few small bowls and some utensils.

When all the preparation was done and ready for the next step, she paused, "It took me this long to realize I don't know how to even start the fire…"

After a while of stubbornly attempting (and failing) to light the hearth herself, she hesitantly walked outside, lingering by the picket fence as she glanced around for the first neighbour she could find. She eventually spotted a short, middle-aged woman who was knitting on a rocking chair out the front of a small cottage not too far from where she was.

"U-um, excuse me ma'am?" Tia addressed when she reached the woman.

"Oh!" The woman startled, nearly flinging her arms up in the air. After recollecting herself, she waved off Tia's apologies with a laugh, "It's alright, my dear. No harm done. At least, I hope not."

"Yeah, that wouldn't be good at all." Tia commented with a sheepish laugh, before pointing a thumb over her shoulder, "I was just, uh, wondering if I could have some help starting a fire so I can cook my food."

The woman gave her a somewhat confused look, "Well, of course but shouldn't you already know how to start the fire by now, dear?"

Tia almost winced at the slight accusation, but knowing the woman didn't mean it, she refrained from doing so. Instead, she offered the lady an excuse. "Oh, that… I've recently overcome my childhood fear of fire."

"Alright then, lead the way." The woman nodded, moving her knitting materials onto the floor beside her and then following after Tia.

When they got inside, the woman immediately set to work on the hearth for Tia, motioning for her to watch closely so she knew how to avoid being burnt when setting it up. Another quiet rumble came from Tia's belly halfway through the impromptu lesson, making her laugh in embarrassment as the woman - Jennie, she'd learned - pointed it out with a giggle.

"I must ask," Jennie started with a curious tilt of her head, "Are you related to Miss Jensen at all?"

Tia shook her head, keeping her eyes focused on the pot which held her now-cooking food. "Nope, not at all. Why's that?"

The woman merely shrugged, "Just an assumption. Though, you two don't really look similar at all now that I think about it." She motioned to Tia's head, "How did your hair come to be that colour, my dear? I've never seen such an… outgoing colour on anybody before."

"Hair dye," Tia blurted without thinking. She resisted the urge to wince at her mistake.

' _None of that even exists yet, you twit!'_ She inwardly berated herself, resuming her cooking with a straight face to make it seem like she hadn't just dug herself a hole.

"Hair dye? How strange, I never knew there was such a thing." Jennie marvelled, awe on her face as she continued ogling Tia's silvery-lilac locks. "I must say, it makes you look older than I imagine you are."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." She sheepishly admitted, finally dishing her food out onto her plate after offering the older woman some, to which she politely declined. Taking a seat at the dining table, Tia leaned in and took the first bite of her food with a grateful sigh.

The older woman pat her on the arm with a warm smile, "Well, Tia, seeing as you are satisfied now, I shall take my leave. Come visit me when you can, yes? It's nice to see a new face around here."

Tia looked up at her gratefully as she walked towards the door, "Mm, I will. Thank you for the help, Jennie!"

Just as Jennie was reaching out for the door handle, there was a knock on the door, nearly frightening the poor older woman for the second time that day. Tia stifled a laugh behind her hand as she got up to answer the door, moving around the older woman so she could see who the visitor was. Shay stood before the two of them, balled fist still hanging in the air as if he was about to knock a second time. He looked a little surprised, and whether it was because there were two people (one of which was not Hope) standing at the door or if it was because the door was answered at all, Tia wasn't sure.

"Hey." Tia said, moving aside to lean her hip on the doorframe when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Shay, is that you?" Jennie asked, stepping forward to look up at the young Irishman. "Why, I haven't seen you in a long time."

"It is, Mrs Jones." Shay answered, nodding his head to the woman before letting his eyes land on Tia again. "I've come to see Tia."

"Oh, have you now?" Jennie asked, a sly grin growing on her lips. "Well, don't let me interrupt the two of you. I best be on my way, hm?"

Tia tried to hold back the flustered look on her face as the woman sent a bold wink her way, patting Shay on the arm as she happily walked back to her cottage. Tia blinked, looking back at Shay when she heard a chuckle come from him.

"Alright, Shay, what do you really want?" She asked, crossing her arms with a suspicious look.

Over the past few weeks, she hasn't really seen him up until this very moment. The only times she did happen to see him was when he would 'report back' to Achilles during one of their book sessions, or when he would randomly pass her by as he was going somewhere. It made her all the more curious as to what his job was, even more so that Liam and Hope seemed to be really busy all the time as well.

' _Disappearing for most of the day, carrying random weapons, taking orders and reporting back to Achilles - who are these people?'_ She thought, annoyance crossing her features for being left in the dark.

"What? I can't visit a fair maiden during my free time?" Shay joked with a wink. When Tia's suspicious look didn't waver, Shay coughed lightly, "I'm being serious, lass. I have a few hours to spare so I thought I'd come see you since everyone else is busy."

"Oh wow, thanks." Tia deadpanned, narrowing her eyes slightly at his choice of words, "Well if I'm just some last resort then, frankly, I don't want to see you. _Adios_."

"Lass, that's not what I-"

The rest of Shay's sentence was cut off as Tia closed the door in his face, locking it behind her as she marched her way back to the table to finish off the rest of her breakfast, which was now getting a little too cold for her tastes. The thought of being left in the dark by the very people who were supposed to be helping her made her a little upset, even if it was just their job occupations. Tia didn't know how or why, but she knew that their jobs weren't just the average everyday jobs people from this time would have. If that were the case, all three of them would be around more often and, most importantly, they wouldn't be carrying swords or guns around willy-nilly like they seem to do all the time.

Tia shoved her plate to the side, her starved appetite from before disappearing into thin air. The front door caught her attention again as the handle started jiggling. Figuring it was Shay, she picked a large apple out of the fruit basket and aimed it at the door before letting it soar through the air with a hard throw. What she didn't expect, though, was the door to fly open, a triumphant looking Shay sending a grin her way right before the apple smacked him in the crotch. A look of horror crossed both their faces as he fell to the floor in pain, his gloved hands reaching down to cover the area.

"Holy shit!" Tia cursed, scrambling out of her chair and running over to Shay with a look of worry. "Oh my god, Shay. I am sorry!"

He gave her a smile, though she could see he was very much in obvious pain, "Ah, I'm a-alright, lass."

She shook her head and crouched down next to him, shaky hands hovering over his form, clearly at a loss of what to do to console the young man. "Holy hell, you are not alright. I swear I didn't mean to hit you there, or hit you at all!"

"Just…" Shay winced as he sat up, "Could you bring me a chair?"

Tia quickly did as he asked and dragged one of the dining table chairs over to him. He pulled himself up onto it with a heavy sigh. "You have a strong throw, lass." He admitted with a chuckle, a little red in the face from the pain.

Tia grimaced, stepping back to give him some space. "Sorry." She murmured once again, glancing at him apologetically from underneath her eyelashes.

"It's alright, lass. I can't say I expected it but I probably deserved it for forcing my way in like that."

"... Well, yeah, kind of." Tia agreed, moving back to the table to clear her stuff away.

Shay raised his brows at her in offense. "Hey."

"I guess you could say you didn't see that one coming." Tia said with a small smirk, turning her back towards him to hide her giggles. He clearly didn't appreciate the jest.

* * *

 **A/N: Chapter 11, at your service! I hope you guys enjoy this one as it is a bit of a filler for what's coming up next in the next chapters. In this chapter, I just wanted to show that Tia is still struggling with being in this time period, even after being there for like 2 months. And woot! We finally got Kesegowaase into the story~ :)**

 **Next update will be really, super soon as an apology for leaving you guys hanging for two weeks. Thank you for all of the new follows and favourites. Also, the reviews - I read them with the goofiest smiles, honestly. Some things you guys say are so cute and it's really nice to see some recurring readers coming back for more too. Thank you so much guys!**

 **P.S. I've had so many ideas for other stories, it's not even funny. Obviously, I won't be doing any of them until this one is finished, but just thought I'd let you guys know. They're all Shay-based, too (for all you Shay loving fans out there - Team Shay woo!) If you want to know what the ideas are just let me know and I'll share them with you guys in the next chapter. :)**

 **Until next time, imakemyownblog :3**


	12. Chapter 12

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter 12**

"Feeling a little homesick, lass?"

Tia shifted her gaze up from the table to Shay's lazing form. The young man hadn't moved a muscle ever since his lower regions took a surprise hit from her apple almost an hour ago, and though he'd obviously gotten over the initial pain, he simply chose to stay on his spot in front of the door. When asked if he was going to move over to the table, he simply shook his head and stated that he was "just fine" where he was, much to Tia's terribly concealed amusement.

"Honestly, I've been feeling that way the whole time." She bluntly admitted, her eyes falling back to the table once again.

His question was something she would find herself thinking about very frequently in these past few weeks. It was hard not to when all she wanted was to be at home and forget any of this ever happened. But she knew that that wish wasn't going to be handed to her so easily. She'd barely even made _real_ progress on her 'mission' anyway - hell, she couldn't even get that insufferable book to work anymore. Not that she'd ever really 'made it work', since the passages would technically already be there whenever she'd open it, but that was besides the point.

Shay's lips parted for a few moments before they shut again, almost as if he had changed his mind about what he was going to say. "I'm sorry you feel that way then…" He muttered, almost a little pathetically as if he was unimpressed with his own answer as well.

She shook her head, dismissing his misplaced apology. "No, don't apologize. It's not your fault I'm stuck here."

"What's it like?" He suddenly asked, making Tia look up to him in a mix of confusion and surprise. He continued, "What's it like in your time?"

"Oh, um." She pursed her lips, "I don't know where to start..."

"How about you start with where you live?" He suggested.

"Okay, well," She started, tilting her head in thought, "My parents and I live in a relatively large house located right near the heart of the city. It's always really busy, which sucks when I have to get to and from school or work, but you get used to it after a while."

A spark of interest that she wasn't expecting lit in Shay's eyes as he asked his next question, "What kind of job did you have, lass?"

"Want to give it a guess?" She asked, genuinely curious as to what his answer might be.

He seemed a little taken aback when his question was answered with another question, but quickly responded with his first guess. "A seamstress?"

She shook her head, "Nope."

"A cook?"

"No."

"A midwife?"

"What? No." She said, her face scrunching up in confusion at his guesses before it dawned on her - this was _colonial America_. Of course he would have no idea what kind of job she would have. She could've been a mechanic for all he knew, and he never would've stood a chance at guessing it right. "I'm actually a waitress at a local cafe. I'm nowhere near experienced enough to be a midwife, nor am I really interested in that kind of job, to be honest."

"Ah, why not?" He asked, "I thought women liked that sort of thing."

Tia wanted to frown at his comment, but refrained from doing so knowing that it was just an innocent observation on his part. Besides, he wasn't really wrong in thinking along those lines for a lot of women _do_ enjoy the idea of babies and pregnancy. She just wasn't one of them.

"Eh, it's just not something I'd like to make a career out of." She said with a shrug. A small thought crossed her mind, "What about you? You never actually told me what you do for a living."

Shay's facial expression didn't change like she had expected it to when she voiced her question to him, instead it remained in its rather laidback expression as he shifted, moving forward to lean his elbows on his knees as he loosely crossed his fingers together, "What do _you_ think I am?"

"I don't know, but you certainly don't seem like some farmer to me - jumping from tree to tree like freakin' monkey or some shit…" She told him in a sudden burst of bluntness.

Shay seemed amused by her answer, "Now that we're on the topic, what do you say we begin our climbing lessons today?"

"What? You mean like right now?" Tia sputtered, her eyes shooting up to Shay's own amused ones. She glanced out the window then back to him in growing nervousness. "Are you serious? B-but where would we practice?"

"I'm sure we can find you a suitable tree to climb on." The corners of Shay's mouth turned upwards, "Unless you want to climb The Morrigan?"

She shook her head almost instantly, not liking the idea of climbing so high above the water. It made it seem like less of a could-be-fun climbing lesson and more like a life-or-death climbing lesson. Trying not to hyperventilate on the mast of a ship as she dangles over the water didn't sound all that appealing to her.

"Yeah, no. A tree sounds great."

Shay nodded in approval, finally moving off of his chair for the first time this afternoon. He shook his head when Tia offered to put the seat back for him, returning it to it's rightful spot himself before motioning for her to follow him outside.

"Woah, woah, hold up." She started, gaining his attention before pointing to her less than suitable attire, "I can't climb in this thing."

"You have spare clothes in that bag of yours, don't you?" He pointed out, as if he didn't understand what the problem was.

She blinked, "Oh yeah, I forgot about those. Thanks for… Wait, how did you know that?"

Shay's eyes twinkled with mischievous amusement as he quoted her from a few weeks ago, "'It's because I'm ninja like that'. I'll wait for you outside, lass."

Tia's mouth dropped open slightly. She wasn't quite sure how she was supposed to feel about that particular tease from the young man, but all she could think about right now was the look that he gave her before he walked off. She knew it didn't mean anything in particular, but that didn't stop the heat from flooding her cheeks as he closed the front door behind him, the image of his dark-eyed gaze embedded into her mind. She fanned her warm face a little before going to get changed.

' _What am I even thinking?'_ She thought as she pulled her navy blue sweater over her head with a little more force than necessary. ' _I mean, it's just Shay.'_

She slid her Vans on and looked in the mirror, running her fingers through her hair to loosen some of the knots that had appeared over the day. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she took another glance at her roots. Still, there was none of that dark brown regrowth she had been expecting to see for a quite a while now. Usually the regrowth started within two weeks and it's already been two months since she'd last dyed it.

' _Another thing to add to the never ending list of side effects…'_ She concluded, sliding her soft white beanie over her head.

Shay was casually leaning on the wall when she stepped out and locked the door behind her. She tried not to squirm under his stare as he assessed her new attire. When he didn't say anything, she frowned slightly, "What?"

Shay, sensing her discomfort, offered her a reassuring smile, "Forgive my staring, lass. It's not often that a lady wears clothes so…"

Tia looked down at her own form, which was now clad in her usual winter clothing. Aside from her black jeggings, which were essentially hugging her legs, she couldn't see anything wrong with what she was wearing.

' _Why does this situation remind me of being sent up to the office for breaking school dress code?'_

"Never mind." Shay said, waving off the matter, "Let's get going. I think I have the perfect spot in mind."

They started off down the track in silence, Shay glancing at their surroundings every now and then to see if he could spy any other potential climbing spots. Tia simply kept her eyes down at her shoes as they walked, immediately noticing how the thin layer of snow was starting to seep into the material of her shoes. She winced at the coldness attacking her feet but kept her mouth shut in mild embarrassment. No way was she going to tell Shay and have him think she was some kind of idiot for not thinking about this earlier.

The snow wasn't that thick when she first arrived here, having only formed a layer thin enough so that her shoes never felt the wrath of the icy snow. Now, however, it almost reached up to her ankle, which she guessed wasn't as bad as it could've been, but still sucky nonetheless.

"Alright, here we are." Shay suddenly announced, effectively snapping Tia out of her partial daze and drawing her attention to the tree he was pointing at.

Tia did a double take, her eyes widening as they took in the looming form of the large oak tree that stood not too far them, its leaves and branches casting off a massive shadow underneath it.

She darted her eyes back to Shay, "What the heck, Shay? That's like, one of the biggest trees here!"

Shay folded his arms, observing the tree with a light shrug of agreement. "What better way to learn than to climb one of the biggest?"

Tia gaped at him, "You can't be serious-"

"Relax. It may not look like it, but it's one of the easiest trees on the homestead that you can climb."

"What?" She scoffed disbelievingly, waving her arms at the tree in exaggeration. "How does that even make sense?"

"You can trust me, lass. I've spent a lot of time practicing on these trees." He claimed, his gloved hands giving the trunk of the large oak tree a few firm pats.

She sighed in defeat, "Alright, alright. I'll leave it to the expert." She then narrowed her eyes lightly, "But if I fall and die, it's your fault..."

He chuckled, "I promise I won't let you fall."

Shay waited patiently as she gave her arms and legs a quick stretch before he began to instruct her on how to reach the first branch, running a few tips by her for if she happened to get stuck. When he received an uncertain look from Tia, he simply decided to give her a demonstration before she made her first attempt. In less than a few seconds, he had already pulled himself up with ease and made himself comfy on the branch so he could watch her progress.

"Go ahead." He prompted, giving her an encouraging grin. "Remember - both your arms and legs are useful while you climb. Not just one or the other."

"O-okay."

Trying to ignore the pressure she felt from Shay's watchful eyes, she jumped up and latched onto the branch of the tree, planting her left foot onto the side of the trunk so she could push herself upwards. After a while of struggling, she finally heaved herself onto her stomach with a displeased sound, dangling herself over the branch like a towel would hang on a rack.

She heard Shay chuckle before she felt a pat on her back, "See? You didn't even need my help."

She sighed and pulled herself up the rest of the way, glancing down at the snowy ground with growing uncertainty. "Um, how high are we going to go exactly?"

"As high as you want to go."

"Oh sweet, let's get down now." She joked, pretending to shimmy herself off the side of the branch.

He chuckled good-naturedly, moving himself into a crouching position before he suddenly leaped to the next branch over and swung himself up higher, disappearing for a few seconds. Tia's eyes almost popped out of her head in shock, but she recovered when she heard the rustling of leaves right above her head instead of a loud thump on the ground.

"Holy shit, I forgot you were capable of that for a second there." She breathed, looking up at him with a hand over her heart.

Shay was about to reply when his eyes suddenly darted out to the distance, shifting himself a little so he could see through the leaves that were obscuring his line of sight. Tia tensed, unsure of what he looked so alert about.

"Shay? What's-"

He shushed her, bringing a finger up to his mouth in a silencing motion before looking out to the distance again. It was then that she began to hear voices, instantly recognizing one of them to be Chevalier's. She peeked through the leaves herself, spotting him walking up the track with a boy who looked to be about her age, perhaps even younger. She noted that he was also wearing one of those strange yellow uniforms she'd been seeing around quite a lot.

"Be sure to inform your boss that I will get those papers delivered to her promptly after I have finished up here"

"O-of course, sir." The boy nodded, coming to a halt in front of the man. "Will that be all, sir?"

Chevalier nodded, watching the boy jog back the way they came before spinning around to continue his trek onwards. It was then that she noticed he had something tucked under his arms, shielding it from the cold wind that was flying around him.

' _He must be looking for me now.'_ She remembered with a startle.

She went to call out to him but Shay hushed her again, silently dropping down next to her with a blank look on his face. However, she could see that his eyes still held barely concealed distaste as they followed after the older man.

"Why do you guys hate each other so much?" She asked when she thought he was far enough.

"We just…" Shay glanced at her briefly, "Don't see eye to eye on things."

She nodded, taking his vague answer as sign that he didn't want to elaborate on the topic any further. When she had first arrived here and met the two of them, she had already gathered that they weren't very fond of each other, but the longer she was around them, the more she could see the less _obvious_ signs of dislike. A curl of the lip, a huff, a roll of the eyes, a sharp remark - you name it, she's most likely seen them aim it at the other. Though, most of the time it was the older man carrying out these gestures whereas Shay was a bit more subtle in his.

"You know he's probably looking for me, right?" She mentioned, gaining the young man's attention once again.

He crinkled his nose slightly, "What for?"

"He said he has something for me."

"Has he now?" Shay sighed uncaringly, gracefully carrying out his previous manoeuvre up to the branch above them before looking down at her with a grin on his face, "Well, he's going to have to look harder if he wants to find you then."

Tia couldn't help but giggle quietly at the look of mischief on his face as he motioned for her to follow him up. She hesitated, "But what if he gets mad at me?"

"He won't. Now come on up."

She snorted, "I hope you aren't expecting me to swing up like you did just now."

"That was just for fun, lass." He responded in a rather cocky tone. "You can just do the same thing as last time."

She rolled her eyes, muttering "sure" under her breath. Slowly, she brought herself into a standing position, trying not to look down at the floor that was getting further and further from her. To her dismay, even when she was standing upright, she couldn't reach the next branch. There was no way in hell she was going to jump like she did before. If she missed on the first attempt at grabbing the branch, then there was a high chance she would end up face-planting on the ground like an idiot.

"Dude, I thought you said this was one of the easiest trees to climb!" She accused, refusing to reach up any higher than she had already.

"It _is_ easy." Shay reiterated, an innocent look on his face.

She moved to sit back down again, a small pout on her face. "Yeah. For you, it is…"

Shay shifted so that he could reach a hand down towards her. When she didn't move, he let out a light-hearted sigh, "I won't let you fall, lass."

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Tia stood up again, grasping his hand with one of her own so he could assist her up. At first, she wondered how she was going to do this since it was a bit awkward holding onto his hand while her other hand was left to lean on the trunk, but that problem was solved when he all but hefted her up most of the way, releasing his hold when she was comfortably on the branch.

Her eyes widened when she looked below them, almost instantly shooting them back up to Shay's amused face, "How the hell am I going to get down?"

"Don't worry about that yet, we've still a bit more to go."

She shook her head vigorously, "No way am I going any further than this, dude. Nope."

He seemed a little disappointed at her refusal to continue, but nodded nonetheless, moving to help her down. When they reached the ground again, she had to hold back the urge to drop to the floor and give it a hug like she did when she first arrived here at the Davenport Homestead. Instead, she began to complain to the very person who insisted she climbed it in the first place.

"That was too hard, man."

"You didn't even climb half the way up."

"It was way too scary..."

"I was there to help you, lass."

"That didn't stop it from being scary."

The calling of her name was what snapped the two from their light-hearted bickering, a stoic expression painting itself onto Shay's face when he saw who it was, while Tia gave him a friendly wave. Chevalier addressed her name once again before he came to a halt in front of them.

"I believe you left these with me when you transferred to Shay's ship." He told her, pointedly ignoring the mentioned young man as he pulled out her folded set of clothes from under his arm.

A bright smile came to her face as she held her clothes in her hands, "Oh, thank you. I almost forgot about these."

The Frenchman nodded in response, finally taking the time to acknowledge Shay as she briefly inspected her clothes. "Shay."

A nod from Shay. "Chevalier."

Tia tried to ignore the tense atmosphere between the two, knowing that there was a lower chance that they would fight in front of her. She silently thanked the heavens for that fact because without Liam here, there was no way she was going to be able to pull the two of them apart. Though, she remembered Liam mentioning that they rarely get physical unless one or the other really pushes it, and in this case, neither of them were doing so. It seems they wanted to act civilized today.

"How did the rest of your hunt with..." She paused briefly, forgetting how to pronounce the native man's name, "-the other guy go?"

Her question successfully pulled Chevalier's attention from the young man next to her, his lips quirking a little as he answered, "Mm, it went well. Aside from the deer, we managed to gather three hares and two foxes between the two of us. It was a good hunt indeed."

She smiled, "That's good to hear."

Chevalier hummed, "Anyway, I believe that Achilles wishes to see you early tomorrow morning. He has news for you regarding a job."

"What kind of job will he be giving her?" Shay asked, an unspoken question lingering in the air which left Tia all the more confused at the secrecy.

"Never you mind, cabbage farmer." Chevalier said in a clipped tone.

' _He never stops, does he…'_ She thought, feeling a little sorry for Shay. She glanced at him just in time to see the annoyance that crossed his face before the emotion disappeared just as fast as it came.

Personally, she quite liked the Frenchman, but if it ever comes to the point where she would have to step in and tell him to back off, then she would do so even if that meant that he would think less of her for standing up for the young man he seemed to hate so much - and vice versa, if the roles are ever reversed. Though, the chances of that happening were pretty small considering Shay seemed to have much more control over his temper than the older man did.

"I must be off now." Chevalier announced with a nod. "I have more business to attend to before sundown."

She noticed how Shay visibly relaxed when the man was finally out of sight, releasing a frustrated sigh as he glanced to Tia, "I don't know how you can smile at that man."

Her lips formed a thin line, "I have nothing against him so why not? Maybe a smile will brighten his day."

Shay barked a laugh at that, "That's admirable, lass, but I'm afraid it will take more than a smile to brighten that man's day." A few seconds later he sneakily added, "Or life, for that matter."

"Salty." She commented with a laugh, receiving a weird look of confusion from Shay. She shrugged, "Slang from my time."

* * *

 **A/N: There we have it - chapter 12 down! Not only that, but it was a full chapter of Tia/Shay interaction ;) Hope you guys enjoyed it! Also, we will be meeting a special someone in the next chapter~ take a guess XD**

 **0Junebug0: Wow, even his grocery list? Me too *high fives* Honestly, the whole reason why I started writing this was because there wasn't** _ **nearly**_ **enough fanfics for the beautiful man that is Shay Patrick Cormac. Am I right or am I right? XD**

 **Here are two of my other ideas for fanfics about Shay. These are brief summaries and I'll be using "name" as the character because I haven't picked names for them yet. That and I'm not sure if I will even write these. XD It's not all of them, I actually have three other ideas that I've touched on too but I will just stick with sharing this for now.**

 **AU ghost story - When "name" moves into her new apartment complex, the last thing she was expecting was to have a lone spirit watching her every move. Shay, businessman and now her next door neighbour, manages to accidentally witness some of her strange behaviour whenever he happens to bump into her. Naturally, he's a rather curious man…**

 **AU mafia story - "Name" likes to think she doesn't live in a bad neighbourhood, but when she accidentally witnesses a murder as she's returning home from a late study session, her world is suddenly turned upside down. (A modern take on Assassin's Creed Rogue if assassins and templars were actually gangs XD - Shay/OC obviously ;))**

 **What do you think? Yay or nay? :)**

 **Thank you for the new follows/faves and reviews! I appreciate them so much :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter 13**

 _March, 1752 | Davenport Homestead_

"You want me to work as a _courier_?"

Tia blinked at the man in front of her, slightly dumbfounded by the idea. She had no idea how Achilles was expecting her to become some kind of delivery girl despite the fact that she wasn't familiar with anywhere or anyone outside of the homestead. He seemed completely happy with his idea, however, as he nodded his head in confirmation to her question.

"Yes. I think it would be a good opportunity for you to do something other than sit around and wait for that enigma to work."

She paused in thought, the idea suddenly sounding much more appealing than it did when he'd first brought it up. She _has_ been rather restless as of late, considering there wasn't many things for her to do when the others were so busy all the time. Let's just say, she's become _very_ familiar with pretty much every nook and cranny of Hope's house thanks to the amount of repetitive cleaning she's been doing recently.

"Well, I guess, but how would this even work? I don't even know how to get around the place or how to…" She tilted her head in confusion, not quite knowing how to communicate the next part, "-deliver things?"

"Don't worry, the matter of delivery is rather simple. Think of it as a simple drop off. As for travel, you will be travelling by carriage with Hope and a few others as they go back and forth between New York."

Tia's interest sparked at the new information, ' _So that's where Hope keeps disappearing off to…'_

It'd been awhile since she'd seen the dark-haired woman around the homestead, often only hearing about her when someone revealed that she had " _left on business"_ once again. She can't say with confidence that she missed her, since she obviously didn't know her all that well, but it would be nice to see her every now and then considering it _was_ her house that she was staying in.

"Alright." She said, quirking an eyebrow when Achilles pulled out two packages from his desk, along with a small bag filled with a few other things inside, and handed it to her.

"What's this?" She asked expectantly, peeking inside to take a quick look.

"A few things I need you to deliver promptly." He replied with a small smile which practically screamed that she can't get out of this even if she wanted to. He continued, "There is also a list of names and addresses, as well as a map of New York inside that bag."

"Okay." She said, dragging the word out as she placed the packages in the bag before chucking it over her shoulder. Needless to say, she was a little shocked that he would just dump this on her all of a sudden. She came to the manor this morning, fully expecting Achilles to inform her that her new job was to be a cleaner at the manor, a carer for the animals, or even a cook - anything but a _courier_. She'd even had to ask what a courier was because she wasn't familiar with the term.

She rubbed her palms together after her new 'boss' gave her a rundown on what needs to be done and how, "I guess I'll go get my stuff ready then…"

"Ah, one more thing before you go." He pulled a small white pouch out of his jacket and carefully placed it in her upturned palm. "This is your payment for the first run. Expect more of these should your deliveries go well and up to speed."

Tia thanked him as she walked out the door, curiously dipping her hand into the pouch and pulling a handful of coins out. ' _Huh. I didn't know they used Spanish money as well...'_ She observed, spotting a few coins that had Spanish written on them. She returned the coins back to their little home before slipping it into the bag with the rest of Achilles' delivery items. With how heavy the pouch was, she knew it was no small amount of money inside - perhaps, if she saved up enough, she could use it to buy her own sets of clothes so she wouldn't have to continuously use everyone else's. Maybe she could even get her own place while she was here.

' _Not bad, Achilles.'_ She complimented the man, an air of amusement surrounding her as she finally made it back to the house. She lazily let herself in, toeing her shoes off to leave them near the door - a habit she'd picked up since being here.

"Hello." A feminine voice greeted.

Tia almost jumped out of her skin when she turned to see Hope standing not two feet from her with a cup of tea in her hand. She sighed in relief after realizing it wasn't some random stranger that was in the progress of breaking and entering.

"Hope, I'm glad to see you again. When did you get back?"

"I only returned about an hour ago." Hope answered, "Things have been particularly busy for me as of late…" Her lips turned downwards, her eyes drifting around the house before looking back to Tia with an inquisitive look. "I trust that you have been alright here?"

Hope moved over to the table and gestured for Tia to join her before pouring herself some more hot tea. The silver-haired teen took the invitation with a polite smile, pulling out a chair of her own and making herself comfortable. She refrained from leaning her elbows on the table as she usually would, since Hope had a few things spread out over the dark wooden expanse.

Tia nodded, "Yeah, it's alright. Although, I gotta admit it was kinda weird being alone at first..." She admitted, her parents and Mark's faces flashing in her mind. "I'm used to having someone around all the time."

"Oh?" Hope raised an amused brow, taking a small sip of her tea.

Tia shook her head when she realized how clingy that made her sound, "N-not that I always-"

"It's alright, I understand what you meant." Hope chuckled, carefully resting the small teacup on the table. "I'm assuming you have been informed about your new line of work from Achilles?"

Tia nodded, "Yeah, I was actually coming back from meeting him before…" She began twiddling with her thumbs as she raised her brow in a curious manner, "Is there anything in specific that I need to bring?"

"Mm, not particularly." Hope hummed in thought, "Food and accommodation is already handled so all you need to bring is the packages that need delivering, and some money."

"Sure thing. When do we leave then?"

"Early tomorrow morning." Hope said, taking another sip of her tea, "The carriage will be waiting for us at the manor."

"I've never ridden in a carriage before." Tia commented offhandedly, more to herself than to Hope.

The woman, however, acknowledged the comment with a light chuckle, "Well, tomorrow is your lucky day."

After a good while of small chit-chat, Hope excused herself to go clean away her dishes. In the meantime, Tia went to her room and packed all her belongings away into her bag. Somehow, she had also managed to stuff the delivery bag in there as well (it was a bit of a struggle to make the zip closed, but she got the job done).

During the little task, Tia's mind was busy comprehending what her new job would be like. The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. This was her chance to really go out and explore the eighteenth century - and in North America, no less. She can't say she's ever had a genuine interest in history before (if her history grades were anything to go by), but if she was being given the chance to go see the world as it once was, then she was definitely willing to take it. She doubted many people got to travel back in time like she has, so she was certainly going to make it worthwhile, even if there was a mission she should really be focusing on.

' _Not like I'm making much progress anyway…'_ She thought somewhat sourly.

A light knock on the door alerted the teen to look up from her current task. Hope was there, one hand on the door frame as she curiously peeked her upper body inside the room,

"Do you want to come for a walk with me?"

"Oh." Tia left the bag to flop backwards on her bed as she turned to face the young woman fully. "I'd love to. Where are we going?"

"I thought it'd be nice to get out of the house and enjoy the weather." She smiled in a mildly joking manner, "I also gathered that you'd like to see Liam before we leave tomorrow. It'll give you a break from Shay, at least."

Tia laughed at that, shaking her head as she followed her outside, "You know… I really don't find him that bad anymore."

"That's a common confession for people who've actually stayed long enough to get to know him."

"Minus Chevalier." Tia jokingly coughed behind her hand.

"Minus Chevalier." Hope echoed, looking rather amused.

A comfortable silence ensued after their little joke, the silver-haired teen taking the chance to take in a deep breath of the crisp morning air that surrounded them. The sun was shining, not a cloud in sight - which was a real surprise after how rainy and gloomy it had been recently. She was just glad that the snow was finally all melted and gone. There had been more than a few occasions where she'd tripped and fallen face-first into the icy layers that covered the ground. What made it worse was that, most of the time, Shay would be with her and he never missed the opportunity to tease her about it ( _after_ helping her up, of course).

The two of them were just passing over the small bridge when Tia glanced at Hope from the corner of her eye, a certain curiosity shining in her eyes, "Hey, Hope? Do you have a special someone in your life?"

A brief look of confusion and wonderment crossed Hope's face as she looked to Tia, obviously wondering about the random question. However, her eyes drifted back to the ground as she gave an answer, "I don't, no."

She raised a sceptical brow at the response, finding her answer hard to believe. Ever since the first day where she'd spotted Hope with Shay that one time, she had the impression that the two of them were in a relationship - or had a thing for each other, at least. Although, basing her judgement off of that one time was probably the wrong way to go about it.

"Really?" She probed further, "Not even an interest or anything?"

"Perhaps, but it isn't my first priority right now."

' _Is that "perhaps" referring to a certain young man with a 'stache and an Irish accent?'_ Tia thought inwardly.

The young woman then gave her a look that said she wasn't going to elaborate any further on her answer, before a barely concealed smirk appeared on her lips as she turned the question back onto Tia. "What about you, hm? Is there a special man out there waiting for _you_?"

Tia fumbled with her words, a little thrown off by how quickly the tables had turned. She hadn't been expecting the question to be turned onto her and now, she had to admit, she was a little wary for some reason. The truth is, she hasn't ever really dated anyone before. There were a few times where she went out with a couple of boys from her school, but that was when she was ten years old and curious, so they never really counted as _real_ relationships. Besides, the whole fiasco would only last a few days before it would end anyway - ' _cooties_ ' being the sole reason.

Even then, like any other person, her crushes would come and go, and by the time she hit high school, she pushed the thoughts of finding a relationship out of her head. None of the guys in her classes had caught her eye for long enough to the point where she'd actively try to seek them out. Whether it was because she had high standards or that she just hadn't found 'the one' yet, she didn't know. All that mattered then was that she had her parents, her best friend and dancing.

 _Now_ , however, she couldn't deny that she was starting to become a little more… _curious_ towards Shay. Who could blame her? She _has_ been around him quite a lot recently - enough to get it into her head that he was _\- is_ \- a rather attractive guy. The one-on-one lessons they've been having don't exactly help her in this situation either. Each session granted her with the young man's undivided attention and, at times, physical contact when she was in a particularly tough spot on a tree. She wouldn't class it as a proper crush yet, but it certainly wasn't nothing, that's for sure.

' _I should probably stop those feelings from growing. I don't even know how long I'll be here…'_

"No, not really…" She trailed off, inwardly berating herself for even bringing up the topic in the first place.

Hope didn't seem satisfied with her answer and chose to poke around a bit more. "A little birdie told me that you made friends with a few members of Chevalier's crew, even going to sit with them for dinner on your own a couple of times."

It doesn't take a genius to know that that _little birdie_ was most likely Shay. Or even Liam, for that matter. He strikes her as the kind of person who gets away with things right under everyone's noses, and no one would guess it was him because he always seems to keep to himself when, in reality, he is the one who has the dirt on everyone and everything - not that he would go around sharing that information willy nilly, but you never know.

Tia snorted a laugh, "You mean Ian and Matt? They're cool, but I barely even know them. Besides, Ian is old enough to be my dad."

"What about that other one, then?"

"Matt? Nah, he's not my type." She said, outright denying Hope's assumption. "Good looking guy," she added bluntly at the last second, "but not someone I want to date."

Hope hummed, hiding a smile at the blunt confession Tia made regarding the blond sailor's appearance. "Then what _is_ your type, pray tell?"

Tia shrugged, "I don't know to be honest. Some days it could be the dark-eyed and mysterious guys, and the next thing you know, it's the bright-eyed, outgoing guys that get to me. It's their approach to life that matters most to me, I think…"

"Interesting…" Hope commented, seeming rather intrigued by the teen's answer. It was almost as if she was expecting something completely different from what Tia had offered her, but she made no move to point that out.

"What about you?" She asked.

"I admire a strong and determined personality in a man." Hope's words were delivered firmly, almost like she had been preparing them in her head since she was a young girl.

"Ah." Tia nodded, "So like the leader type, then?"

"They don't necessarily have to be a leader, no."

Tia paused for a second before shaking her head and laughing quietly, "Strong and determined, but not a leader, type. Gotcha."

Soon, the manor was in sight, it's large form being almost impossible to miss if it weren't for the mass of trees surrounding its perimeter. In the distance, Achilles could be seen sitting at a small wooden table, appearing to be immersed in some kind of document that was held carefully in his hands. Not too far from where the man was seated, Shay could be seen wielding an axe. He swung it down over his shoulder in a powerful motion to chop the wood that was placed before him, and then tossed the finished pieces off to the side with his free hand before moving onto the next one.

Achilles lifted his eyes from the document before they even got close to him, which didn't surprise Tia in the slightest. She was used to the sharp senses stuff by now, though that didn't stop her from being impressed when even Shay managed to hear their approach over the sound of his chopping wood.

Tia, thinking that they were making their way over to them to have a chat, let out a sound of surprise when Hope gently clasped a hand around her wrist to keep pulling her along.

' _So much for that then…'_ She thought.

"Uh, you don't want to talk to Achilles or Shay?" She asked, the confusion in her tone as plain as day. She thought Hope would've wanted to stop by and say hello at least, but the dark haired woman seemed to have other plans entirely.

"No." Hope said, releasing her wrist. "You've already seen enough of those two, have you not?"

"Well yeah, but…" Tia sighed and waved a hand, "Never mind."

The two of them continued to walk around the side of the manor, leaving the two men to stare after them as they went on with their stroll. She thought the situation was a bit strange, but there was nothing she could do about it now as they made their way further down the path, taking note that they weren't too far from the manor when they finally came across a small area that was semi fenced off by low log fences.

Almost immediately, she spotted a familiar native man moving about a small campfire in the area. It didn't take her too long to realize that it was the man who'd gone hunting with Chevalier - Kesegoway? Kesegase? She couldn't remember his name for the life of her, but she doubted he wasn't used to that already. She glanced at Hope. Were they going to be joining him?

She slowed down slightly, trying her hardest to drift behind the purple clad woman without her noticing. It didn't work all that well, of course, and Hope reached out to take her wrist once again.

"What are you doing?" She asked once the teen was at her side again.

"Are we going to go sit with that guy?" Tia replied, giving the man sidelong glances as they got closer and closer to him.

"Yes. Why?" Hope inquired, raising a brow in question.

"I'm not going to lie - nothing against the dude, but he makes makes me a tad uncomfortable."

"Why is that?"

"No comment."

Hope rolled her eyes, surprising Tia. It wasn't that she'd put it past her to do something like that - everyone in the world would be guilty of doing it at least _once_ in their lives - but more so the fact that she had done it towards her. Did this mean she was comfortable with her? As in _friends_ comfortable and not just acquaintances comfortable?

' _Why is the eighteenth century so complicated?'_

The native man (whose name she'd given up on) finally decided to acknowledge the two of them as they rounded the fence. He looked as nonchalant as ever as he seated himself at a small wooden bench across from them, a small teacup in his hand as he nodded at the two in a silent greeting. Hope seemed completely comfortable around the man, saying a quick "hello" and then jumping right into a conversation with him. Tia, however, didn't know what else to do other than to offer him an awkward smile.

After that, she stayed quiet and made herself comfortable by sitting on the fence beside Hope, her thoughtful gaze drifting between her two companions as they made small talk. She didn't know how long they were there like that for, but her butt was starting to get numb. She readjusted herself on the fence before tuning back into the conversation.

"- won't be too long before they slip up."

"Before who slips up?" She asked, eyeing them both in confusion.

The two of them shared a look before Hope went on to explain. "There have been multiple interferences with our business lately, and we're hoping that the people who've been causing these problems will be dealt with soon."

Tia nodded slowly, contemplating on whether or not she should bother asking what their line of work was. It seemed no matter who she asked, whether it be Achilles, Shay, Hope or even Chevalier, they all seemed to like dancing around the subject like it was forbidden to speak of such things with her. Either way, if she was going to be hanging around with them while she was stuck here, then she's bound to find out eventually, _even_ if there was some snooping to be done.

' _If they can't trust me, I can't trust them… To hell with it, I'm just gonna ask anyway. Maybe if I push enough, they'll give in?'_

"And your business is what exactly?" She asked, not meaning to sound so rude, but also not bothering to correct herself. They were hesitating again.

The sound of boots walking towards them made Tia's eyes close slowly in building frustration. She was never going to get an answer, was she? She turned around to see Liam walking over to them, eventually taking a spot on the fence himself, but instead he was simply leaning his backside on it.

"I hope it's not too late to join you three, is it?" He asked, folding his arms over his chest.

Tia didn't miss the tight smile Hope shot at him, obviously grateful for the distraction he had provided. "Of course not." She said, "I'm assuming Adéwalé had a safe journey?"

"Right." Liam nodded, "Though, he seemed to have a lot of news regarding his most recent travels, and not all of it good."

"That's rather unfortunate."

He hummed in response, finally looking at Tia and offering her a brief smile. "And how are you? I heard things still aren't going well with that book of yours."

She scratched at the back of her neck, "Yeah, you heard right then. Nothing has been working, so Achilles decided I'd be better off doing something productive with my time and gave me a job."

He chuckled, "Forgive me for saying so, but you make that sound like a bad thing."

She frowned, "Well, when you think about it, it _is_ a bad thing. I should already have that book figured out by now..."

"Hey," Liam gave her a firm pat on the shoulder, "It will happen when it needs to happen, so don't worry too much over it."

"Yeah." She sighed, her mood dampened a little even though Liam had just tried to cheer her up.

Hope hopped back onto the ground, dusting off the back of her dress as she walked off, "Alright, well, I'm going to go get some practice in."

Tia looked confused again as the native man also walked off in another direction after replacing his cup on the little rack above the fire. That left her and Liam. He picked up on her confusion and simply motioned for her to follow him further down a small trail. It led to a small grassed area that had several hay-stuffed dummies sitting behind a large tree log that had fallen over.

"You ever gone shooting before?" Liam suddenly asked, breaking the small silence that had built between them.

Her eyes widened slightly when she saw that he was now holding a set of pistols in his hands, inspecting them over like they were his prized possessions.

"Uh, n-no. I've never even held a gun before." She answered uncertainly. She really hoped he wasn't going to make her use those things.

"Step back." He simply said, taking a step forward himself so that they were a good few feet apart, before he lifted one of the pistols and pulled the trigger.

A loud bang echoed throughout the area as the gunshot went off, prompting Tia to lift her hands over her ears from being startled. Luckily she didn't shut her eyes otherwise she would have missed the way some hay exploded from the dummy's head as the bullet sliced straight through it, leaving a nice hole in it's wake.

"Wow." She breathed, "That - how did you do that?"

Liam reloaded the pistol with a quiet chuckle, "Practice makes perfect."

He motioned for her to step back again as he lifted both pistols this time and aimed at two different targets at once. Several shots went off, all six of the dummies' brandishing new holes in the front of their heads. Tia couldn't help but to ask him to perform more of his "tricks" for her. Nice as he was, he followed through with her requests, and showed her a few more things, even dropping small tips about shooting pistols here and there.

"That's amazing, Liam." She smiled as he set about reloading his pistols again, though, this time, instead of taking aim like he had been doing before, he simply slid them back onto the loops of his belt.

"Thank you." He said, offering her a humble smile. "Perhaps I can show you how to do it one day."

"That'd be so cool!" She said, rocking on her feet in excitement.

He chuckled, "Come on, we'll take a break."

"Sure." She agreed.

Arriving back to their spot by the fire, Liam poured himself a cup of tea and then offered Tia some. She politely declined the offer, explaining to him that she wasn't really a fan of the leafy drink. He simply chuckled at her and then offered her some water, to which she gratefully accepted. She was just taking the first few sips from her cup when Hope and the native man returned as well.

"Of course he's not here yet." Hope commented, an unimpressed look crossing her features as she took her previous spot on the fence again.

"Don't get your hopes up too much." Liam told her, an amused smirk making its way onto his face. "You know what he's like."

His words evoked a somewhat bitter smile to cross Hope's face, "Unfortunately."

Tia was about to ask who they were talking about when a sudden wave of nausea came over her, making her stomach flip uncomfortably. She sat stock still on the fence, her hands tightening their hold on the dry wood just in case her body decided it wanted to take a trip to the floor backwards. She blinked a few times, trying to shake the feeling off without actually moving - no way in hell was she going to risk making herself throw up. The blinking seemed to be working, the gross feeling suddenly drifting away as if it had decided it wasn't worth it staying in her body.

' _What the hell?'_

"Tia?"

She shook her head and looked ahead to see the others looking at her - Liam being the one who called her name. "Sorry, what was that?" She asked, acting as if she had simply zoned out on them.

"I asked if you've ever done delivery jobs before?" Liam said, repeating his question to her.

"Oh." She blinked one more time just to gather her thoughts, before shaking her head no. "This will be my first time."

"Ah, I reckon you'll enjoy yourself." He told her with a smile. "It'll be something new for you to do; give you some time to explore the place."

She laughed, "That's exactly what I was thinking."

"You're all set then." He chuckled.

"Yeah." She hopped off the fence and landed on the dirt with a thud, half expecting the nausea to hit again. She was pleasantly surprised to find it completely gone. "Hey, uh, I'm gonna go for a walk, alright?"

They all nodded as she strolled away. She would've thought that one of them was going to ask her where she was going. They all seemed to like knowing her whereabouts all the time - which was weird but kind of understandable at the same time - but they let her go without any questions raised. Really, she only wanted to head back to the house so she could take a nap just in case the nausea decided to rear it's ugly head again.

As she was passing by the manor, she gave it a little side glance to see if anyone was around still. She almost did a double-take when she spotted someone scaling the side of the manor - that someone being Shay.

' _What the frick is he doing?'_ She thought, pausing on her tracks.

On the other side of the manor from where Shay was, she could see Achilles had moved himself to the veranda with a guest - Adéwalé she'd imagine. They seemed to be fully immersed in their conversation, obviously not realizing that Shay wasn't chopping wood anymore, and was instead climbing up the side of a house like he was about to commit a crime.

She slowly made her way over to where the young Irishman was, tilting her head back and shielding her eyes from the sun so she could look up at him. He already seemed to know she was there, peeking down at her after he'd finished pulling himself to the top.

"Shay?"

"Tia?" He called, dusting his hands off at his sides.

She shook her head in an obviously confused gesture, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Just practicing some climbing." He answered, moving away from the edge.

"What?" She backed up and went on her tiptoes to try keep him in her sights. She saw him turn around to look down at her again, motioning for her to climb up and join him. She shook her head and waved at him, trying to get him to come down to her instead.

He walked back to the edge again and crouched down, "Come on, lass. It'll be good practice for you too."

"I'm not climbing up there, you doofus! Trees are hard enough."

"Suit yourself." He chuckled, moving away again.

She rolled her eyes and continued walking back to Hope's house. ' _Weirdo.'_

* * *

 **A/N: Here we go, chapter 13~ woo! :) It's about freakin' time that I updated. I can't believe I took so long! :'( A month! Damn it, and here I was thinking I was gonna be a super good author by updating every week, and instead I went by for like five weeks without updating… *smacks self* Seriously though, come follow me on my tumblr if any of you guys want to ask me anything about the story or when I'm updating. Just search up "imakemyownblog"! :)**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter - forgive me if there are any errors, though My editing is so lazy XD. As you can see, I'm starting to pick up on the story a bit more now. I'm trying to stray away from the** _ **exact**_ **happenings of the cut-scenes though, because I don't want to copy** _ **everything**_ **they say. That doesn't mean I won't include those parts in the story, though - I just want to make this as interesting and new as possible by trying different things. :)**

 **Remember how I said there was gonna be a new character in the last chapter? It was Adéwalé XD Even though, he didn't actually appear in this chapter like I wanted him to, he still had a mention. ;) There was** _ **plenty**_ **of Hope in this chapter guys, so I hope you Hope fans are satisfied XD There will be heaps more of her to come as well, so hurray for that, yes? :)**

 **Oh, and what do you guys think of the new job Achilles assigned her? She's going to be travelling to New York with Hope~ I wonder what could happen there? ;) XD I'll let you guys take a guess - I, however, am going to sign off with a final thank you to you guys for leaving me nice reviews, following my story and overall being really encouraging. I really appreciate it. SHINeeKey out :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter 14**

 _April, 1752 | Local New York Inn_

A few days after Tia was assigned with her new job, they finally arrived in New York and settled in a small inn just on the outskirts of the city. Hope said something about it being quieter in this area than others, and that it was exactly what she wanted. Plus, she knew the innkeeper so they were bound to get in for a cheaper price. Not that Tia was complaining—all she cared for was that she had access to food and a warm bed to sleep in.

After they were done settling into their small, yet cozy rooms and had rested up a little, Hope invited Tia downstairs for some breakfast before she got started on her first day of deliveries. She had to admit, she was more nervous now that she was actually here, but the thought immediately left her mind once her breakfast had been placed in front of her.

Tia let out a sigh of content as she dropped her utensils onto her finished plate of food, unintentionally creating a loud clanging noise that caught the attention of the few people around them. She laughed it off in a sheepish manner, before readjusting herself in her seat and looking back to her companion.

"That was the best thing I've eaten in awhile." She exclaimed, grinning when Hope raised a brow at her. The young woman was no doubt judging her for her table manners, or lack thereof.

"Yes, I can see that." She hummed.

Unlike Tia, who had settled for a hearty meal consisting of various cooked vegetables and eggs, Hope had simply opted to get herself a plate of bread topped with butter and jam instead. Along with a fresh pot of tea, of course.

Tia eagerly leaned forward, eyeing the doors that she knew would lead to the kitchen. She saw the old lady go in there after she gave them their food. "Do you think they'd give me seconds if I asked?"

Hope looked surprised. "You'd ask for more already?"

"Heck yeah, this was amazing. Definitely one of the more satisfying breakfasts I've had in my life."

It may have been a pretty simple dish, but Tia was a sucker for cooked meals in the morning, especially when her mum had anything to do with it. It was like an extra kickstart to her day, almost like how coffee worked for some people, only far less addicting.

Despite what the silver-haired teen had said, Hope shook her head anyway. "I think you can manage with what you've had."

"I guess you're right. Especially now that you're forcing me to wear this death trap at all times." Tia pouted, referring to the stiff corset that had been tightly hugging her waist everyday since they'd left the manor.

Hope ignored the small jab and moved to eat the rest of her breakfast, discreetly observing the girl in front of her. At first, she was a bit worried when Achilles informed her of his plans for the girl. What was he thinking? Letting an outsider who, no doubt, has already seen more than she should have, _travel_ with her while she was supposed to be occupied with a mission. Now she had to make sure the mission went along smoothly, as well as keep an eye on her for the duration of their stay.

Sure, it wasn't the girl's fault that she was suddenly thrown into a world she doesn't know with only the tiniest hint of hope that she could get home again, but that wasn't Hope's concern right now—or the assassin's, for that matter. There were more important things at stake here, sad as it was to think about. Otherwise, Hope would gladly assist the girl in getting home faster.

Oh well. It wasn't anything she couldn't handle. If the situation called for it, then Hope would assign some gang members to watch out for her—from a distance, of course. Until then, she would be on her own.

Tia sighed and stood up. "I guess I should get started then, right?" She hoisted the delivery bag over her shoulder, and glanced at Hope, nervousness clearly etched into her expression.

"You have your map, client list and intelligence. I'm sure you will be fine." Hope smiled as a last offer of comfort.

"Okay. I can do this." Tia muttered, more to herself than anyone else. She waved to Hope before walking out of the inn.

* * *

"Alright, so… if I'm here, then…" Tia's finger delicately traced along the crinkled surface of the map, her honey brown eyes narrowed in concentration. She glanced up to the small country house that stood in front of her, it's exterior well groomed and looking like it came straight out of a children's book, "This should be it."

She carefully folded the map and tucked it away before pulling out the client list. The first delivery was for a _Mr. Jameson Sanders_. "Here goes nothing."

She knocked on the door. When there was no reply, she knocked again, making sure that it was a little louder than the first. Just when she was beginning to think nobody was home, a muffled reply came from inside the house.

"Hold on, I'll be right there!" More muffled murmurings could be heard from inside, followed by an abrupt crashing noise which made Tia's eyes to widen in shock, before the door was swung open. The strong smell of paint wafted into her nostrils.

A very tall young man stood before her with one hand on the doorframe, looking down at her with bright, and slightly confused, hazel eyes. His dark brown hair looked like it had been carelessly tied together by a monkey, and his clothes didn't look to be in better condition either. Despite his dishevelled appearance, he had a friendly face.

"Um… Mr. Jameson Sanders?" He nodded, looking even more confused than before. The teen struggled to hold in a laugh as she rummaged through her bag for the correct package. "Are you okay?"

"Of course." He chuckled and scratched the back of his neck, watching her with curious eyes. "Caught me at a busy time, is all."

Finally finding what she was looking for, she handed it over to him with a small smile. "This is for you."

Recognition lit in his eyes as he gingerly took the package from her, taking a few moments to carefully pull the cloth back and peek inside. Satisfied, he tucked it under his arm, "Say, I've never seen you before."

She nodded, "Yeah, it's actually my first day on the job."

"Ah, alright. Where's Marshall off to, then?"

Her brows furrowed, "Who?"

"Timothy Marshall? The lad who usually handles the drop offs?" Upon seeing her face scrunch up in confusion, he laughed and waved the matter away, "Never mind. Thanks for this…"

She blinked, taking a few seconds to realize he was trying to get her name. "Oh, sorry. Just call me Chachi."

"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Chachi." He smiled, "I better let you go then. You have a busy day ahead of you, by the looks of it." He nudged his head towards the bag that was now perched over her shoulder once again.

She nodded, gratefully accepting his second round of thanks, before he retreated back into the house with one last wave. Tia headed back onto the street and pulled out the map again so she could figure out her next route, when another loud crash came from inside Jameson's house. She laughed then, resisting the urge to knock on his door again and ask if he was alright—but she couldn't. She has a long day ahead of her.

* * *

 _Six houses down, one to go,_ Tia thought in relief. The light in the sky was beginning to fade as the sun went down for the night, and the last thing she wanted was to get lost while it was dark.

After her first delivery had gone down without a hitch, she'd moved on to the rest with a more positive approach. _It's not so hard_ , she had thought. Up until the fourth house, that is. Her happy mood plummeted when a grumpy old man had answered the door, and certainly didn't look impressed with what he was seeing—an "up to no good teenager with preposterous hair". He continued to badger her while she was trying to find his package—almost to the point where she wanted to throw the package at his face in frustration.

At that point, her feet were already sore from walking all over the place in unfamiliar shoes, her sides were aching from wearing the corset, and last but not least, her shoulder muscles were tensing up from lugging the bag around all day—so it's pretty understandable that she had nothing pleasant to say to the old prune. Let's just say, she's never delivering there ever again.

Now that the day was almost over, she couldn't help but to stare at her surroundings in awe as she made her way to the last house. It was so pretty and unlike anything she'd ever seen before. Back home, her house was practically in the centre of the city, so it was all built up with roads and massive buildings. Not to mention, there was always cars, buses, trucks and motorcycles driving past her house constantly, so there was never a time where she could truly appreciate the quiet.

She could see the farmers working on their crops or tending to their animals; small groups of people gathered around a table, drinking ale and singing. She'd even spotted a young newsboy waving the newest paper around in his hands, calling out the headlines and trying to weave people in with his words. Maybe one day, she'd buy a newspaper of her own. It'd be nice to sit and read through during her free time.

Finally, she found herself in front of a red bricked house. It was cute (just like everything else from this time, apparently), and she found herself smiling as she approached the white wooden door. Knocking loudly, she stepped back to wait for the owner to answer. This time, the delivery would be for a woman named _Marianna._ Tia had scanned over the client list twice, thinking she might have missed the surname for whatever reason, but there was nothing. Oh well.

"Can I help you?"

Tia jumped. She must have zoned out while she was waiting, and didn't hear the door open. "Uh, yeah. I have—"

Tia did a double take when she finally took in the woman's appearance. Long and wavy hair, dark brown eyes, lightly tanned skin. It was almost as if—

"Excuse me?"

Tia blinked, effectively breaking the staring contest she was having with the woman's face. Turns out this _Marianna_ was staring at her too. For different reasons, most likely—in fact, she probably thought she was a bit touched in the head—but staring nonetheless.

The teen laughed sheepishly and fiddled with her fingers, "Sorry. Long day." The woman said nothing, and Tia took this as her cue to do what she came here for.

"This is for you," she said quietly, presenting the package with two hands.

The woman gingerly plucked it from her hands and gave her a tiny smile. She looked tired. "Thank you."

She didn't know why, but she almost wanted to reach over and engulf the woman in a warm hug. She looked like she could use one. Of course, she didn't do that, and instead she backed away with a wave that could almost be described as timid. Who was this woman?

"Goodbye now." With that, the door was closed gently and the teen was left in a daze.

* * *

"You're back late." Hope commented, sitting at the same table they were this morning. As usual, she was seated with one leg politely crossed over the other and in her hands was a dainty little teacup, no doubt filled with fresh tea.

Tia stumbled over to the table and all but slumped into her seat with a giant sigh. "Can I eat now?"

Hope's eyes glinted in mild disapproval, "We need to work on your manners."

"Sorry," Tia mumbled. She straightened her posture and crossed one leg over the other; a mimic of Hope's seating position. She coughed quietly, "May I please have some dinner?"

Hope nodded, her lips twitching into a small smile, "Of course. Your food should be ready soon. I requested for it to be made upon your return."

The teen nodded and remained quiet while she waited. The inn had certainly become much more livelier now that it was the evening. It only _just_ registered in her mind that this place also served as a pub, which she guessed made sense, but still came as a surprise. It also seemed as if this place was filled with older people only, for there were no young and rowdy drunk people loitering about—which Tia was completely fine with. Hopefully, it would stay that way.

"Your food, miss." A plate filled with meat, bread and vegetables was placed in front of her, alongside a tankard filled with ale of some kind.

Tia smiled at the old woman who had unknowingly brightened up her day, "Thank you!"

The second the old lady turned around, Tia practically started to inhale her food, skipping the meat with a silent apology to the cook. ' _Inhale'_ meaning smaller and quicker bites than usual, which is not that much to begin with. She was usually a slow eater.

"Didn't you eat today?"

Tia glanced up at Hope and then back to her food, "Nope. Just the breakfast this morning and that's it."

The look of disapproval was back on the young woman's face as she continued to watch Tia scoff down her dinner. "You should have bought something to eat during the day."

The teen shrugged nonchalantly, "I didn't know where to go. Besides, it wasn't on my mind until the last delivery, so it's fine."

"Speaking of which," Hope took a sip of her tea, attentatively peeking at her over the rim of the cup, "how did your day go?"

Tia licked her lips and leaned back in her chair, "Well, I ended up delivering seven packages. There was one dude I wanted to clip in the face, but other than that, it was alright. I think I have to plan it better tomorrow, though. I managed to get lost a couple of times."

"You did better than I expected." Hope said.

Tia perked up a bit, poking her last carrot with her fork. "Really?"

"Indeed. I didn't think you'd get much done on the first day."

Knowing that she'd managed to exceed Hope's expectations, even just by a little, was a pretty big accomplishment in Tia's eyes. The young woman always seemed a little… hard to please, and knowing she'd done just that, made her all the more happier with how the day had gone.

"What about you?" Tia asked, finally finishing her food and sitting back with a relaxed grin, "How did you go today?"

Hope didn't pause like she'd expected. Instead, an accomplished look crossed her face as she placed her now-empty teacup on the table. "My day went well. I managed to strike a deal with a business partner of sorts, and have acquired a new place to stay whenever I'm in New York."

"What do you mean? Like, a new inn or something?" Tia asked, frowning slightly. _But I like this inn,_ she whined inwardly.

"Not quite." Hope answered. "This is a place I will be able to call my own."

Tia relaxed then, "Ah, so like a new house then… When do you move in?"

"It's not all sorted yet, but hopefully by the next time we're back here, we can settle in there."

"Sweet." Tia said, a smile coming to her lips.

She debated over whether she should drink some of the ale the old left her or just ask for water instead. Not wanting to seem rude, she decided on the former. After all, this was Hope's money—which reminded her, she'd have to pay for the food tomorrow. Lifting the tankard to her lips, she took a big gulp of the amber liquid inside.

"Ew." She grimaced, returning the cup to the table. She wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand, "Why does everything from this time taste like liquid regret?"

She heard Hope chuckling quietly and looked up at her with slightly narrowed eyes. "What?" She said.

"I've heard that one before." Hope said, shaking her head in amusement.

"You have?"

She nodded, "Shay told me about what happened when Liam gave you rum—"

 _Shay was talking about me? To Hope? Why? Wait, who even cares? Stop it._

"He said you almost tricked him into drinking your spit, too."

"Oh," Tia laughed, remembering the look on his face when Liam ratted her out. "Yeah, that was funny."

The two of them shared a few more moments on small talk before finally deciding to call it a night. They bid each other goodnight before heading into their separate rooms, which were directly across from each other, which Tia was happy about.

Now that she was in her room and could finally relax, all the teen could think about was changing into her nightwear and tucking in for the night. She was going to stay up for a bit, and maybe text Mark to see what he was up to, but she decided it would be better if she waited until the morning.

She slid her boots off and gratefully wiggled her toes. Maybe she should ask Hope where she could find some new shoes tomorrow. These ones weren't as great as she had first thought they were. She knew if she wore them any longer, then she was bound to get blisters. That's not exactly handy when it comes to a job like hers.

She had a bit of trouble removing her corset, but managed to get it off on her own since she'd asked Hope to tie it in a simple manner—nothing like the intricate bows or whatever the hell she'd done before. She almost collapsed onto the bed in relief when the corset released her midsection.

 _I'll never get used to that…_

She then took off the rest of her dress and changed into a fresh white nightgown. Pulling back the covers, she slipped into the bed with a tired sigh. It wasn't exactly the most comfortable bed she'd laid in, but it was better than the floor. After all, it didn't matter so much when she thought about what Hope had told her earlier, a tiny smile appearing on the corner of her lips at the thought of a certain Irishman.

* * *

 **A/N: Yo, I'm** _ **finally**_ **back with chapter fourteen! I can't believe how long it's been! Almost two months, holy shite! O.o Ah well, it can't be helped. I told you guys that I wanted this story to have a good pace and not seem rushed, so in order for that to happen, I realized I needed to take my own time. I know, I know—it was a long-ass time, but I promised you guys I wouldn't leave the story, so here you have it. :)**

 **Also, thank you for the new reviews/faves/follows. There's nothing better than knowing more people are reading my story and keeping up with it. :D Speaking of which: what do you guys think of the story so far? Does it need more background for Tia? Does there need to be more Liam? More Shay? (Of course it does. We all need more Shay.)**

 **I probably won't update until after Christmas, sooooo I'm wishing you all a Merry Christmas now. I hope you all get to spend a lovely holiday with your families & loved ones~ :)**

 **Anyways, it's late as hell here. SHINeeKey out xx ;)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter 15**

 _May 15th, 1752 | The Davenport Homestead_

Tia sighed in relief once the carriage rolled to a gentle stop. That had been one hell of an uncomfortable ride. Almost a week of being squeezed together with three other people (plus Hope) in a confined space, and she was more than ready to throw someone out the window if they didn't hurry up and move their asses.

When Hope told her about their new travelling companions the night before they left, she didn't think much of it. In fact, she was sort of glad that there would be more people coming along for the ride. _The more, the merrier_ , she thought. Then came the day for them to depart and they all met up at the carriage—only then did she realize how much it was going to suck.

Not only was it cramped (since the carriage looked like it was supposed to be a four-seater only), but it was also extremely quiet, and not to mention awkward. It wasn't like she could ask the driver to crank up the radio either, so the majority of the ride was spent in silence, save for when Hope briefly introduced her to the others. She now knew them as George, Timothy and Rose. Not that she'd remember that in a week or two anyway.

It was strange, really. They appeared to be well acquainted with Hope, but not _so_ well that they could randomly strike up a conversation with her about who they're going on a date with on Saturday evening. They were all dressed in that gross-looking yellow uniform she'd seen around the Homestead before too, and they all seemed to look at Hope with a keen sense of respect—like one would have for their teacher.

Among that respect, though, was another emotion that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Was it anxiousness? Nervousness? Fear, perhaps? Either way, what was there to feel nervous or scared about? And what did any of that have to do with Hope?

Tia's lips formed a thin line. She really didn't think it would come down to it, but it seems like she has no choice in the matter anymore. She would have to do some snooping around if she wants answers. The real problem now was where to start and how to do the deed without getting caught. There had to be _something_ —but she would think about it later.

Hope, being the first one to get out, thanked the driver with a tight smile as she lightly pat down the creases on her deep purple dress. She was obviously trying to hide her discomfort and was failing miserably, the knot between her eyebrows more prominent than ever. Tia _could've_ felt sorry for her, but she wasn't the one who had to be squished between two fully grown men for the entire ride home, so she stopped herself from feeling anything but irritated as she all but stumbled out of the carriage with jelly legs.

"Never again." She mumbled, stretching her limbs as best she could in her dress. The teen was still muttering away to herself when Hope approached her.

"Achilles will want a report on your progress as soon as possible, so I suggest you do that now before you go home and rest." She said, the tight smile relaxing into something smaller, but more genuine.

Tia sighed, giving the young woman a small nod of acknowledgement. She could still see the others in the corner of her peripheral vision, obviously trying to act as if they weren't there. No doubt, the second she left, the three of them would prance off with Hope and _finally_ get out what they've been holding in ever since they left the goddamn city.

 _Whatever,_ Tia thought grumpily, _I'll find out what you're all hiding soon enough…_

She didn't bother replying to Hope. Instead, she started up the hill towards the manor, her silvery locks flying after her as she sped up with each step. She was a little more than irked at the moment and it didn't help that her corset felt extremely tight _or_ that the weather was significantly warmer than it had been in a while.

Coming to a stop in front of the large house, she raised her fist and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, it was opened to reveal a dark skinned woman a little taller than herself, with a little boy no older than five gathered up in her arms. _So Achilles does have a family..._

Tia immediately wiped the grumpy look off her face and replaced it with a hesitant smile, "Hello. Um… Is Achilles here?"

The woman nodded and stepped aside, motioning for the her to come in. She did so quickly, rubbing at her forearms as she waited for the woman to close the door and lead the way. She could see the boy's big, brown eyes observing her movements as she followed his mother up the creaking, wooden stairs. Seeing this as her opportunity to break the ice, she made a goofy face; puffing her cheeks out and pulling on her earlobes. The boy's expression lit up into a wide smile, a laugh escaping his mouth as he wriggled in the woman's arms to be put down. She simply hushed him and readjusted his weight on her hip.

"He's adorable." Tia said as they came to a halt in front of a closed door.

"Thank you." The woman replied, a smile slipping onto her face. She twisted the handle and pushed the door open slowly, holding a finger up in a silent gesture for the teen to wait outside while she went in.

Tia took that as her cue to commit the area to memory, honey brown eyes glancing around the room and taking everything in. She'd never been upstairs before. To her disappointment though, all the doors in the hall appeared to be shut, and no doubt locked. There wasn't much sitting around either; only a small table that was tucked off to the side with a vase of fresh flowers sitting on top, as well as a round coffee table with two comfortable looking chairs sitting beside it.

It wasn't too long before the woman came out again, along with the man she came to see. He regarded her with a raise of his brows as he shut the door behind him with a soft click, "Ah, Tia. I trust you have been well?"

"Ah yeah, as well as I can be, I guess." She nodded with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders, not missing the way he stood in front of the door almost protectively. What was he hiding in there?

The woman's eyes shifted between the two of them before settling themselves on Achilles, "Would you like me to prepare some tea?"

"No, thank you, dear. We won't be too long." He said, a soft look in his eyes as he looked at the woman and child. She nodded and proceed to leave the two alone so they could talk, the animated babbling of the young boy following her out. "Shall we take a seat?" He asked.

Tia nodded and moved over to the chair closest to her, sinking into its softness with a barely audible sigh. She was convinced that just about anything could be comfortable after the week she's had—the dirt track outside would suffice, even. At least then, she could actually spread out and roll around if she wanted to. Not that she would do that in front of Achilles. How embarrassing.

"So," Achilles started, leaning back into his chair with his hands folded, one over the other, "How did you go?" He asked like he expected nothing less.

"It was alright for my first shot, I think." She told him honestly, sitting forward in her seat so she could look at him properly. "I got lost a few times but that's expected."

"Yes," He hummed, nodding in understanding. "Given your predicament, it will most likely take a while until you can freely navigate your way around the streets of New York."

"Yeah, and with sucky navigation skills like mine, it's probably gonna take even longer…" She sheepishly admitted.

"Ah, but you made all of the deliveries this first time, did you not?" Achilles pointed out.

"W-well, yeah actually..." She resisted the urge to quirk a brow in surprise. _Wow, is trying to cheer me up?_ "Speaking of which, were all of these clients regulars?"

"Most of them are, yes." He confirmed. "Why?"

"A lot of them were asking about a guy named Marshall and I didn't know what to tell them." She answered, not forgetting how almost every single client asked about the mystery man. It grew annoying after the first few times.

Something flashed in the older man's expression—something she definitely could've missed had she not been watching him. This made her pay close attention to his next few words, anticipating a slip up of some kind.

"Ah yes, Timothy Marshall…" His eyes fell to his clasped hands before looking back up, "Unfortunately, the man had some family troubles that he could not evade and needed to be excused from his services."

Tia resisted the urge to sigh. That's all he was giving her? "What a shame..."

"Indeed." He agreed, dark eyes drifting to her hair. "Did anyone give you trouble for…"

The question lingered for a bit before Tia nodded and picked up a strand of her hair, "I mostly just got weird looks from people, especially on the streets and at the inn. Oh, and then there was this one old dude—who I'm never delivering to again, by the way—that I wanted to sock in the face, but it's all good."

An amused smile fell onto Achilles' lips. "Does this old man you're referring to go by the name of Frank Miller?"

"Yeah."

"Mr. Miller has been a client of ours for a long time." He told her, "Way before I took over. He's known to be a little difficult to deal with at times."

She scoffed at that, "Yeah, I can tell."

He pretended not to hear the remark and continued, "Unfortunately for you, he is also a very _important_ client of ours and we cannot afford to lose him. Since I am unable to assign anyone else to the task, you are to continue making deliveries to him—," he held a hand up before she could cut in, " _until_ I can find someone else for the job."

"... Fine." She grudgingly agreed. This _Frank_ was bound to give her trouble in the future.

"Good."

"Is that all I have to report on?" She asked after a short moment of silence. Embarrassed, she quickly added, "Sorry, I don't really get how this works."

"Yes, that is all."

With that, she stood up with a nod and began to head downstairs, inwardly hoping she'd get a glimpse of the little boy before she left. All this time in the seventeen hundreds and he was the _only_ little kid she's seen. Maybe she could offer to babysit every now and then, who knows?

She was just about to reach for the front door when Achilles called down to her. "Oh, and Tia?"

"Yeah?" She turned her head back to find that the older man wasn't behind her like she'd been expecting. She blinked, "What the? Where—"

"Look up."

Doing as she was told, she tilted her head back to find him observing her from the second floor while leaning on the banister with folded arms. "Perhaps, you should invest some of your pay into buying a cloak."

"Oh geez," she laughed, pretending to fix her hair, "I'm not that ugly, am I?"

He chuckled, "I know a few who would tell you quite the opposite. Have a good day, Tia."

* * *

After her short meeting with Achilles, she decided that it was as good a time as any to wash up in the river. She had to admit, after washing herself with a damp cloth almost every night in New York, she found that she'd much prefer swimming around in the river to get herself clean, even if the water was freezing cold.

When she was done scrubbing the dirt off herself, she toweled off, got dressed (in her jeggings and sweater, because screw the corset—it's not like she was going anywhere) and headed back to the house with a much more positive attitude, especially after this morning. At least now, she could relax for a few days before heading back to New York for the second time.

"Let's see now…" She coughed into her closed fist a few times before holding her phone up and speaking in a clear voice, "Okay Google." Her phone responded with a little 'ding' noise, signalling that it was ready to go. She placed it in her lap as she leaned back against the headboard of her bed, "Call Mark Levi."

It took a few seconds for it to process the request and then the dial tone suddenly kicked in. Putting it on loudspeaker, she tossed it to the side and grabbed her pillow so she could clutch it to her chest in a hug.

"Hey!"

She flinched at the loud shout, not expecting her friend to answer in such a manner. "Why are you like this?" She stressed, fumbling to turn the volume on her phone down.

He laughed, "Well, hello to you too, Tia. I'm fine, thanks for asking. 'Kay, nice chat."

"I—"

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

She rolled her eyes and dialled his number again, patiently waiting for her friend to answer. Once it stopped ringing, she set it on loudspeaker again and held it close to her face. "Mark?"

When there was no response, her face scrunched up in confusion. _That's funny, I'm sure it didn't hang up—_

Then she heard it. His breathing. She facepalmed and breathed a loud sigh, "Hello, Mark. How was your day today?"

Her friend made a noise of approval, "How _kind of you_ to ask me that, Tia. It's been very good. I got to walk the dog with my sister, I got to play Rise of the Tomb Raider without any disruptions and then, unfortunately, you called—"

"Oi!"

He laughed again, "Sorry, I'll stop now."

She pouted, "I can't believe you hung up on me…"

"You're pouting, aren't you?"

She immediately stopped the action and deadpanned, "No."

"You liar."

"Shut up." She said with a growing smile. "So, how's everything over there?" She could his fingers typing away at the keyboard. "Hey, you can't even give up your computer for five minutes to talk to me?" She chided.

"Ah, sorry. I've been busy filling out this new application form." More typing. "Oh yeah, did I tell you I've been trying to get this new job?"

She sat up and stared at her phone in surprise, "What? No? You're leaving the cafe?"

"Yeah, I am. This job is right up my alley."

"But why?"

"Well, it's not like you're there anymore so…"

She frowned at the half mumbled response. That much is true, she admitted. _And who knows when—or_ if— _I'm going back…_

"I'm sorry, Tia." He sighed, sounding tired. "I shouldn't have said that."

"No, you're right. It's the reality of it." She accepted quietly, running a hand through her slightly damp hair, "So, I guess I've lost my job then, hey?" She laughed sadly.

He hummed, "Most likely. I quit two weeks after you were gone."

"I see." She nodded, even though he couldn't see it. "Have you spoken my parents at all?"

"No, I haven't heard from them or seen them ever since you left." He said. "I even went to your house a couple of times and nobody answered. It didn't even look like anyone was home…"

"Oh."

"Have you tried ringing them?" He asked.

"Yeah," she said, fidgeting with the corner of her pillow, "I did a few times, but that stupid robot lady keeps telling me their phones are off."

"Alright, I'll go check the house again after I've finished up here, okay?"

She smiled lightly, "Thank you so much, Mark. It means a lot."

"Anything for you, chica." He started to type again, though she had a feeling he was trying to be more quiet about it since it sounded muffled. "Anyways, tell me about these new people you're with."

"New people?"

"Yeah, pirate guy who put his jacket on you, etcetera, etcetera."

"He's not a pirate." She snorted, "And really? He's the only one you remember?"

"Um, actually, he's the only one you told me about." He retorted with a chuckle. "And his name's Shay, right?"

"Straight down to his name too, eh?"

"How could I forget when you kept mumbling it in your sleep like some crazy la—"

"Okay!" She loudly interrupted, "Let's start with Hope."

"Yes, do go on." He said in a posh manner, making her want to cringe and laugh at the same time.

"She's pretty nice, although a little reserved, if you ask me. I'm actually staying in her guest room at the moment and she's been lending me her clothes and shoes since we're basically the same size."

" _Basically?_ " Mark asked.

"Yeah, but she's a little taller. Let's not forget she's like the only other female around here—that I actually talk to anyway. Um, next is Liam. I…" She paused, trying to think of what to say about him, but eventually came to the conclusion that she doesn't really know too much about him in the first place. "He's a cool guy. Definitely one of the more level-headed ones, I think. Oh, and he's one of the first people I met when I came here, alongside Shay and Chevalier."

"Wait, wait, wait. Che— _what_?"

"Chevalier." She repeated.

"Yeah. Okay. How's about we just call him Chevy?"

"Like the car?" She questioned, laughing behind her hand. "I don't think he'd like that. He's a pretty temperamental dude."

"Hey, it's not like he's gonna know. Anyways, continue."

"It was his ship I stayed on for the first week or so that I arrived here. It was freakin' massive—and you should've seen the sails, hey. He's the captain—"

"Pirates, I tell you!"

"Oh my god, Mark, they're not pirates!" She told him with a groan of annoyance, "And will you stop interrupting me?"

After muttering a quick apology, he let her continue on with the explanation of her new companions, even telling him that she thought Achilles looked like the actor, Eddie Murphy. Of course, this got an instant reaction from her best friend, who was a big fan of the star, and by the end of the phone call, he was practically begging her to snap a photo of him so he could see for himself. They talked for a while longer before Mark bid her a goodbye along with the promise to call her if he found anything new about her parents whereabouts.

With a sigh, she placed her phone on the bedside table and rolled over. _There's nothing to do now,_ she thought, a bored sigh escaping her lips. Mark was busy driving to her house, Hope was probably still off gossiping with those randoms, and she had no idea where Shay and Liam were. _Or_ Chevalier, for that matter. She knew none of them were present at the homestead since she checked the harbour from the top of the cliff and neither of the ships were there.

Suddenly, an idea struck her. She rolled off the bed and made her way to the dressing table where her bag was sitting. Situating herself on the small, wooden stool; she grabbed the bag and dug inside of it before pulling out the black book. The sight of it sparked something inside of her, something she hasn't felt for a while—determination.

She was going to get this book to work. _Today._

It felt like hours that she sat there, staring hard at the book, willing for it to work, when she saw it—words began to appear on the blank page. She almost squealed and danced in delight, but quickly gathered her thoughts so she could actually read what was on the page first.

It took a while for the familiar golden cursive to take effect on the white page, but when it finally finished, she read the words with excitement.

' _You are doing well. Adapting to the new environment is the first step.'_

She couldn't help herself after that. Jumping off the stool, she danced and hopped around the room, "Oh my god, it worked. It actually worked!"

"What's got you so excited?"

Her eyes snapped to the side to find Hope watching her with amusement dancing in her dark brown eyes. "Hope!" She beamed, jumping over to the young woman. "Oh my god, the book! It worked!"

"That's good news." She expressed, a smile crossing her face as she continued to watch the teen fling herself around the room in her excitement. "What did it say?" She asked, unable to hide her curiosity.

Tia finally calmed down enough to grab the book and hand it over so Hope could read it for herself. The woman read it over with a hum of approval, "Achilles will be happy to hear the good news."

At the mention of the man, Tia paused, "I don't have to go tell him now, do I?"

"No," Hope chuckled, "but don't hold it off for too long. He'll want to know of your progress so we can figure out what to do next."

"Phew, I thought I'd have to walk all the way back to the manor again." Tia laughed, lazily flopping onto the bed.

"It's not that far." Hope said, making herself comfortable by sitting on the purple chaise by the window. "Besides, the sooner Achilles knows about it, the sooner we can figure out a solution to get you home."

Tia tilted her head back slightly so she could eye the woman from her place on the bed, "Why does everyone always make it sound like Achilles is the only one who can get me home?"

"He's a man who has helped many people before you, including myself." She told her surely.

"Really? How?" Tia inquired, rolling onto her stomach so she could look at her properly. Upon seeing the hesitant look on her face, she added, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I just thought…" She trailed off.

"It's alright," Hope assured, "I'm just not used to this—sharing my past with others, that is."

Tia nodded, unsure of what to say next. She didn't want to push the woman into telling her anything, but she was also curious to know more about her. She was an interesting person and it would be nice to have someone to talk to on such a level around here.

Hope surprised her, however, by jumping into the story of how she managed to find her way to the Davenport Homestead. She explained how she was orphaned at a young age and was then adopted by a young German couple hoping to make a new life for themselves in New York. After her father disappeared and the family business was turned over to his business partners, Hope and her mother were left to the streets to fend for themselves.

Eventually, her mother grew sick and didn't get any better, regardless of the food and medicine that Hope managed to obtain for her, and she passed on. After that, Hope had hardened to the world and vowed to herself to never depend on anyone again. She was later found by Achilles, who managed to get her off the streets and made a place for her here at the homestead.

"Wow, Hope." Tia spoke in an awed voice, leaning her chin in the palm of her hands. "That's amazing."

Hope nodded, looking much more comfortable as she relaxed into the chair a bit more. "Thank you."

"No, thank _you_ for sharing this with me." Tia corrected, "I mean, seriously. Look how far you've come! I never could've gotten through that if I was put in the same situation."

"You'd be surprised." She said, smiling at the teen.

* * *

 _1st of June, 1752 | East Village, New York_

"Stop here." Hope instructed the driver from inside the carriage. She then turned to Tia, who looked at her in confusion.

"What? Why are we stopping here? I don't see the inn…" She said, taking a glance around outside in search of the little inn they stayed at last time. The only thing she could see was a huge property surrounded by wrought iron fences and red brick walls.

"Did you forget?" Hope began, stepping out of the carriage with a proud smile. "I secured a new place to live."

" _This_ is what you managed to ' _secure_ '? Oh my god, Hope!" Tia gaped at her in shock as she followed the young woman onto the grand property.

It was massive—bigger than the Davenport manor by a longshot. The only thought running through Tia's mind was: _how in the hell did she manage to get this place for herself?_ It couldn't have been easy, but she guessed she could enjoy the moment and ask questions later. After all, this was probably the happiest she's ever seen Hope. Who was she to ruin that?

* * *

 **A/N: Yay! I'm back with chapter 15 of OTWT—with plenty of Hope (and a bit of Mark) as well. :D Not much Shay** _ **again**_ **, I know. It's hard resisting the urge to write about him but, like I said, this can't be** _ **all**_ **about him. I don't want to have Tia cling onto him for the whole story, and besides, it's fun building on the other characters. Don't worry though,** _**Shay will be back in the next chapter!**_ **;)**

 **I** _ **was**_ **going to write a little section from Shay's POV, but I feel like that would ruin the eventual build up of the story. I don't know… Maybe if you guys want me too, I might—otherwise, I'm just going to keep it in Tia's perspective.**

 **Thank you guys for being so patient with me to update, it's really appreciated. And not to mention those who've found me on tumblr and messaged/followed me. It's really encouraging to know you guys love what I've written. 3 SHINeeKey out xxx**


	16. Chapter 16

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter 16**

"This is _my_ room?" Tia asked, her unsure gaze flickering between Hope and the dark wooden door.

"Your very own." Hope confirmed, lifting an arm to gesture her inside, "Go ahead."

By now, the young woman had introduced her to almost every area in the mansion; including the kitchen, where they talked and ate for a while; the washrooms, where Tia was surely going to make frequent visits to; the giant library, the multiple guest rooms and even her own master bedroom. Due to the mansion being such a grand size, they didn't have the time to take a look outside in the lush gardens, since it was almost sundown and it was starting to get chilly.

In the midst of all her excitement, however, she didn't register the fact that she still needed to see her _own_ room, which she didn't think she'd even _have_ until Hope decided to announce it a few moments ago. Now, the two of them stood before the very door that would lead them inside, the late afternoon sun pouring in through the large windows at the end of the hallway and bathing everything in a warm, orange glow.

By the looks of it, they didn't have too long before they'd need to start lighting candles.

"Alright," she twisted the handle and pushed the door open, "let's see what we got here."

Her mouth fell open in surprise. The room was undoubtedly the size of Hope's master bedroom, only this one had two sets of windows rather than three. The cream blackout curtains were half-drawn, giving the afternoon light less room to shine through, casting the bedroom in a dull glow—but it certainly didn't lessen the beauty of it.

A queen-sized canopy bed sat against the far wall, right in between the windows; it's deep red covers matching the colour of the walls. The bedside tables held a pitcher and glass on one side, and a small stack of books on the other. Tia eyed the several fluffed-up pillows leaning against the headboard and fought the urge to crawl onto the bed so she could roll around on them.

In the left corner of the room was a medium-sized desk with a selection of writing equipments spread out over the top. Beside that was a tall bookshelf, filled to the brim with a variety of books, all of different sizes and colours. It would probably take her a few weeks to go through them all—and then she had the massive library to scour through as well. She wasn't much of a reader to begin with, so for her to complete such a feat would not only impress herself, but her school librarian too.

Right beside where the pair was stood, there was a dressing table, which already had a few beauty products tucked in close to the mirror. She made a mental note to play around with those at some point since she'd yet to see makeup from this era—regardless of the fact that she's been here for almost five months now.

On the other side of the room was, what she guessed to be, a large cupboard for her to store her clothing and shoes. It was of an intricate design, the dark mahogany wood of the doors being carved into beautiful patterns that she was sure would've take a lifetime if she was the one to do it. Lastly, a cream chaise occupied the other corner of the room, with an assortment of soft, square pillows sitting on top of it.

After running her gaze around the room for the second time, she finally snapped out of her daze and pranced over to the windows, a wide smile on her face. "This is amazing, Hope!" She beamed, pushing the window open to let some fresh air in.

"You can make yourself comfortable." Hope suggested, folding her arms, "We'll be staying here from now on."

"From now on?" The teen repeated, tearing her eyes from the beautifully trimmed gardens outside to look at her in surprise, "You mean this is permanent? We won't be returning to the homestead anymore?"

"Not entirely." Hope informed her, noting the sudden drop in her mood. "We'll have to report back there every once in awhile, but consider this home now."

"Oh…"

Truthfully, Tia didn't know if she liked the idea of living here permanently. Sure, it was a beautiful mansion and anyone would be crazy to turn down living in such a magnificent place for free— _especially_ during times like these—but it wasn't the same as being at the Homestead.

The Homestead was familiar to her. It was the first place she got to know and live in when she stepped off The Morrigan and onto dry land. But that wasn't all that upset her. It was the fact that she wouldn't be able to see the familiar faces of Liam, Shay, Chevalier, Achilles, or even Kesegowaase. It would be a different story if they had come to live here too but, unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

She knew she shouldn't get attached to everyone, but she couldn't help it. They were a part of her life now, as hard as it was to admit. Even now, she was becoming rather close with Hope, enough to consider her a good friend. She never voiced that thought aloud though, for she wasn't sure if the young woman would think alike.

"You're always welcome to go back there when you want, Tia." Hope assured after an unintentional silence filled the room.

Tia shook her head immediately, worried that she might have offended her in some way. "No, I'd love to stay here! I just—" She sighed, plopping down onto the bed, "I'm going to miss everyone."

Hope's expression shifted into one of understanding. "Like I said, we'll need to report there every now and then anyway, so it'll already be similar to our current routine—just more of that time will be spent here." She folded her arms in a relaxed manner, "And besides, the others will only be getting busier, so it won't make much of a difference if we're there or not."

"I guess so…" Tia muttered, looking down at her shoes.

It _did_ make sense—staying in New York with Hope, that is. It would certainly cut off a lot of time and money spent on travelling between the two, and it would no doubt relieve Hope of all the unnecessary stress. She assumed that Achilles already knew of these plans—if he wasn't the one to arrange them in the first place—and has organised a way for her packages to arrive here so she can deliver them to his clients.

"Shall we find a tavern to sate our hunger for the night?" Hope suggested, pulling Tia's mind out of her thoughts.

"Yeah," she agreed, standing off the bed, "I'll pay this time."

* * *

 _28th of June, 1752 | Greenwich docks, New York_

Tia groaned upon seeing the frigate bobbing up and down near the docks; it's white sails furled and it's busy crew carrying cargo onto the deck. She had hoped it'd be a while longer before she had to board another one of these ships again. In fact, it would be better if she didn't have to board one _at all_ , but luck wasn't on her side today.

"How long will it take to get there?" She voiced to Hope, resisting the urge to whine when she said it could take about a week.

"It's not that long." Hope promised, her dark eyes following the figures of the men as they prepared for the short voyage. "The captain said that the weather is looking particularly good, so we could get there sooner than expected."

 _Guess that's as good as it's gonna get,_ Tia thought with a sigh.

She just hoped the nausea wouldn't hit her like it did last time. She didn't know how she managed to keep her breakfast in her stomach that day. Perhaps it was the distraction of meeting new people? The new environment? She wasn't sure, but the memory of it was enough to make her shudder in displeasure.

 _Why couldn't they have planes in this time again?_ She frowned. _Oh right, they're not that technologically advanced yet._

Either way, she wasn't about to stay in that huge mansion on her own while Hope sailed away for an unknown period of time. There were way too many strange noises floating around in that place and it _always_ seemed to occur during the night. No _way_ was she going to deal with kind of stress on her own.

Besides, all of her deliveries were done so she had no real reason to stay there. She managed to finish her work early so she could spend the rest of her free time finding some new apparel—ones that were more suited to her tastes, of course. Surprisingly, she managed to gain a bargain from a local tailor, Katherine—a kind older woman who welcomed her into her shop with open arms. She agreed to supply her with a few quality dresses at a cheaper price, so long as she would "advertise" her work in turn.

Who was she to turn down an offer like that?

After drawing up a few rough ideas on the kind of dresses she wanted, the woman managed to have the finished products delivered to the mansion in three weeks time. Tia had no idea how she managed to get them done so quickly, but she guessed it had something to do with the more _simple_ styles of her dresses, rather than what was considered fashionable on women these days.

Today was actually her first day wearing one of them and, she had to admit, it turned out _way_ better than she was expecting. Katherine had even taken her up on the idea of hidden pockets. Now, she would be able to carry her phone and her money on her person rather than leave it in her bag for some pick-pocket to snatch.

Something told her she'd be visiting that shop again in the near future.

Her new dress was a rich maroon colour that complimented her hair and lightly tanned skin. It had a sweetheart neckline and the sleeves came just below her elbows. There was less layers in the skirts, making it plenty easier for Tia to move around in and, not only that, but she had also insisted on zero frills (for this dress, at least) to which Katherine reluctantly agreed on. Now, it looked similar to that of a modern day maxi dress—and she felt way more comfortable wearing it. Not to mention, it was her _own_ dress now, so it fit her much better than the last one.

 _If only I didn't have to keep wearing the corset,_ she thought, wiggling her middle in slight discomfort. By now, she's become used to the tight hugging sensation, but it still bothered her whenever she thought about it.

She focused her attention back on Hope, "So, where are we going exactly? You never actually told me..." She inquired.

"I have to meet up with Achilles and a few others to discuss some plans for a job." She said, clasping her hands in front of her, "We're meeting at Two Bends, a small settlement in Virginia."

"Ah, alrighty."

Tia briefly wondered who the "others" were, but quickly dropped the thought when she figured she would find that out later. It wasn't too long before the captain was crossing the docks to approach the two; his outfit neat and tidy with it's navy blue, golds and whites standing out amongst the rest of the people on the docks. He looked to be in his early thirties; light wrinkles appearing on his friendly face and a few greys sticking out amongst the dark brown of his hair.

Tia decided she liked this guy already.

"Good morning to you ladies," he greeted, a wide smile on his face. "I hope you're doing well on this fine day. We're ready to set sail if you'd be so kind as to step aboard."

* * *

 _3rd of July, 1752 | Two Bends, River Valley, Virginia_

The trip was interesting to say in the least. It was unlike the last time she was at sea, where the majority of her days were spent in routine and her nights were spent eating dinner with Liam and Shay. She wasn't actually required to do anything on board this ship, however, so she spent most of her time hiding away in her shared cabin with Hope.

The most noticeable difference was that the sailors aboard this ship were very nosey— _friendly_ , but nosey. She lost count on how many times one of them tried to touch her hair or ask about her "unique" bag. Most of the time, Hope, or even Captain Leroy, would have to wave them away from her because of how they'd flock around her like she was some kind of exotic animal.

True to his word, though, the captain managed to have them at their destination in a short period of five days, and Tia couldn't be any happier to set foot on land again. Hope thanked him with a small sack of what she assumed to be money and then they were on their way.

As expected, her first few steps onto solid ground made her head spin around in circles. The teen let out a soft groan as she tried to contain the churning in her stomach. The constant smell of the salty ocean air hadn't bothered her—until now, that is. The quiet noise still managed to gain Hope's attention.

"Are you alright?" She asked, steadying the girl by planting her hands on her shoulders. "Do you need to sit down for a minute?"

She nodded, instantly coming to regret the action when it only served to make her feel even worse. She was led off of the sturdy docks and over to a wooden chair that was left outside of a small storefront. Plopping herself onto the hard surface, she closed her eyes and tilted her head back into the shade, away from the sun that was threatening to shine into her eyes.

"Sorry," she said after a minute, lifting her head back up to glance at Hope. "I'm not very big on the whole sailing thing—or the water in general..."

The young woman nodded in understanding, "It's alright. I used to be the same up until a few years ago."

Tia hummed, taking her words into account. She had a hard time imagining a Hope that was afraid of the water. In fact, she couldn't imagine a Hope that was afraid of _anything_ , really. The young woman was always so calm and collected with everything—even when they found a big, black spider crawling around in the library the other day (which Tia begged her to kill).

"So, where's this meeting place of yours?" Tia asked, her stomach finally settling down.

She watched as a few men wandered past the store, chuckling and slapping at each others backs in a friendly fashion. She recognised some of them to be members of Captain Leroy's crew while the rest were probably local residents coming out to greet their buddies.

"It's that property up on the hill just there," Hope replied, pointing a slender finger in the direction. "Achilles is most likely there already." She added.

Tia's eyes followed the gesture, spotting the two-storey building not too far from where they were. A large, yellow banner hung from the side, flapping gently in the wind. She could only just make out the symbol imprinted onto it. She recognised it as that strange symbol from her book—the one that reminded her of a compass, only there was a small fire symbol added in the centre.

 _I've seen a couple of those around New York._ Tia thought, eyeing the symbol with curiosity. _I wonder what they're for..._

"Well, we better not keep him waiting then." She said, slowly removing herself from the chair and adjusting her bag on her shoulders again. "I don't want to get you in trouble or anything."

"Ah, no need to worry about that. We've actually arrived rather early." Hope told her, rolling her eyes as she said the next part, "Besides, Shay will most likely be late anyway."

The teen almost choked at the news, but quickly concealed it with a slight cough into her hand. Shay was coming? The last time she saw him was when he was scaling the side of the Davenport manor back in March. She hated to admit it, but she actually kind of missed the guy. And if Shay was going to be here then, no doubt, Liam would surely be tagging along.

"Oh," she began, "I didn't know he was coming. Does that mean Liam will be here too?"

"Of course," Hope answered, turning on her heel and leading them up the hill at a relaxed pace. "Those two are practically inseparable."

Tia chuckled. It reminded her of her own friendship with Mark. She smiled, "They seem to have known each other for a long time."

"They have indeed." Hope confirmed, "They've been the best of friends since they were young boys. I still remember the day that Liam introduced Shay to everyone at the homestead..." She shook her head, "He was a troubled individual back then— _still is_ —but he's certainly improved."

Tia remained silent as she listened to the young woman reminisce over the memories; a rare, soft smile blooming on her face as she talked. She wasn't dumb. She knew Hope had to have _some_ sort of feelings towards the young Irishman. She just didn't know how deep those feelings ran or if they were even _those_ sort of feelings to begin with—but there was _something_ there.

 _That_ she was sure of.

 _Why does this even matter? It's none of my business._ Tia frowned at her train of thought. _Once I finish up here, I'll be out of their lives for good._

After climbing a few sets of stairs and passing a fire pit brazier that was burning brightly, it's orange flames licking at the cool afternoon air, they finally reached the property. It appeared to be a little rundown; wooden planks were nailed to some of the windows, some of which didn't even have any glass, leaving it to be a bare square on the side of the house; then there were a few cracks and spots all over the exterior walls, leaving it to appear old and worn out, and not the least bit welcoming like Tia somehow expected.

A table was set outside on the wooden deck, along with a couple of chairs—two of which were already occupied by Achilles, who was bent over an old map, and Kesegowaase, who watched the girls as they approached.

"Hope, Tia. You're early." Achilles said, glancing up at them. "We weren't expecting anybody for a few hours yet."

"Yes, the voyage was a quick one. We were rather fortunate." Hope replied, moving to take a seat next to the man.

As the two began to converse over the map, Tia glanced at the tables' other occupant. She was surprised to find the man already looking at her, a solemn expression on his face. Not wanting to seem rude, she offered him a polite smile. He nodded in acknowledgement, turning his attention back to the weathered map.

Her eyes ran over the three of them again, hunched over the map like it contained the answers to everything. She fought back a sigh. Was _this_ what they were going to be doing the whole time? Now she could see why Hope was rather hesitant in letting her come.

She slid her bag off her shoulders and placed it onto the table before taking a seat on the old chair. Maybe she could occupy herself with her phone for a while. Nobody else was around besides the four of them anyway, so she couldn't see the harm in it.

Quietly reaching into her dress, she pulled out the idle device and turned it on, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table. Once the device booted itself up, multiple notifications began to filter in, surprising her. She only checked it yesterday.

When she pulled down the notification tab, she blinked. Over half of the notifications were from Mark parading around on Facebook and tagging her in everything he found funny. Yes, he was _that_ friend. Briefly taking a glimpse at all of them and liking Mark's tags to keep him happy, she closed the Facebook app and switched to the music one. Plugging her earphones in, she shuffled her playlist and rest her head on the table.

She didn't even realize she'd dozed off until a large hand gently squeezed her shoulder, jolting her out of her light nap. She gasped in a breath of air and bolted into an upright position, unknowingly smacking the person's hand again. She blinked. The others were still sitting there, but they weren't looking at her—rather, they were looking _behind_ her. Confused, she carefully tugged on the thin, white cord; the quiet Spanish words that were being sung into her ears fading into nothing as she opened her mouth to ask what was wrong.

"Slacking off again, Tia?"

A little disoriented, it took her a few seconds to comprehend whose voice it was, but the Irish lilt was unmistakeable—Shay. She could already feel her heart beating a little faster, which she mentally scolded herself for, and retorted, "At least I'm not the one who's late."

"Aye, fair point," he agreed, still sounding rather close to her.

She twisted around in her chair, tilting her head back to look up at his face. She rolled her eyes and turned around again, _almost four months and he still hasn't thought to shave that worm off his face._

This only seemed to amuse the young man as he asked, "What are you rollin' your eyes for?"

"Because you look like a potato." She responded bluntly. She acknowledged the other newcomer with a friendly grin thrown over her shoulder, "Sup, Liam."

"Good to see you, Tia." Liam returned, the corner of his lips curling up in a small smile.

"Hey," Shay glanced between the two of them, "why does he get a nice greeting and I don't?" He accused.

At this point, she was struggling to conceal her cackles. "Unlike _you_ , Liam's not a potato." She stated matter-of-factly, her fingers tapping on the edge of the table.

The chair beside her was abruptly pulled out, the young Irishman seating himself down to face her. She didn't even look at him as he opened his mouth to, no doubt, return a witty retort, when a cough interrupted them. They both glanced at Achilles, their eyes trailing back to each other in amusement.

"There are more important matters at hand than accusing Shay of resembling a vegetable, thank you." He stated, putting an end to the bickering before it even started.

Tia couldn't hold back the giggle that escaped her mouth then. It was a barely noticeable sound, but all heads turned back to her and she immediately stopped, covering her face in mild embarrassment. The way Achilles had explained it only served to make the situation even funnier, in her opinion. She could even hear Shay chuckling good-naturedly beside her.

Figuring that these "important matters" didn't involve her, she decided to remove herself from the table before the inevitable occurred and she was asked to leave. "Excuse me. I'll be right back." She said, tucking her phone into her pocket and grabbing her bag.

"Don't be gone for too long, Tia." Hope spoke up, successfully gaining the teen's attention. "We'll have dinner together."

"Okay," Tia said, smiling at her. There was no denying it now—they'd definitely grown closer over time. She always wanted a big sister figure in her life. Perhaps Hope could fill that position?

After her little exchange with young woman, she left the group to their discussion and trekked down the hill again. Truthfully, she only needed to pee, but she figured she could find something to do while she was down here, if only to avoid the risk of being sent away again for returning too early.

Once she'd relieved herself, she decided to take a look at the small markets set up near the water. The salty smell of the ocean was much stronger as she strolled onto the wooden decks, her nose crinkling slightly whenever she got a particularly big whiff of it. However, she was quickly distracted as a man called out to her.

"Hey, girl with the fancy hair," she almost deadpanned as she looked over to him, "come take a look at these!"

The man encouragingly waved her over, the wide-brimmed, straw hat on his head flapping a little with his movements. She quirked a brow at him, but proceeded to make her way to his stall anyway. Now that she was closer to him, she could properly make out his greying hair and wrinkles. He looked to be middle-aged, but his demeanour was youthful as he gestured around his stall, a wide smile on his face.

"You like jewellery?" He asked somewhat goofily, as he leaned forward slightly.

She blinked and glanced around his stall. Necklaces, rings, bracelets and the like, were all lined up in neat, little rows. None of them were like your typical modern day gold and silver jewels—instead, they were hand-made wooden creations. They all ranged from a dark to light browns, with some of them being painted brightly in beautiful blues and greens, while others had small beads or feathers attached to them.

"Honestly, I'm not usually the type for jewellery but," she ran a finger over a thin, white bracelet, "these are really pretty."

"How about I make you a deal?" The man started, picking up the bracelet that had caught her eye, "You buy this one full-price, and you can pick anything else in the stall for free."

She folded her arms a little reluctantly, eyeing the bracelet that sat in his palm. Should she really be spending her money on such things? After all, she just spent nearly all of her savings on her new dresses and she still needed to buy her own shoes as well.

The man seemed to pick up on her hesitance, an encouraging smile curling at his lips, "These are super rare, hand-crafted by yours truly," he pointed to himself proudly. "You won't find them anywhere else." He added.

"Ah, what the heck, I'll take it." She finally agreed, her eyes crinkling in amusement when the man cheered.

"A white bracelet for the beautiful, young lady." He chuckled, "What else will you take?"

She looked down at her options once again, her eyes lingering on a few potentials that she liked, until she finally decided on a black version of the same bracelet. At least this way, she can mix and match them with her clothes. After handing him the correct amount of coins, she was handed the little trinkets with a grateful smile.

The man thanked her, his smile contagious as she walked off feeling a little happier. Slipping the white one around her wrist and tucking the black one into her bag, she quietly looked at the other stalls for another half hour before she finally made it to the end. There were a few more temptations throughout the little browsing session, but she managed to contain the urge to spend the rest of her savings and turn down the tempting offers.

She sighed, wondering what to do now. She didn't really want to head back yet. She glanced out to the water, seeing The Morrigan bobbing gently along with the waves as the afternoon sun began to make its descent onto the horizon. The white sails were furled, and the main deck appeared to be empty of its sailors. She briefly appreciated the beautiful sight for a moment, unable to tear her eyes away from it, until an idea suddenly crossed her mind.

 _Maybe I can find some answers in the captain's cabin..._

She hasn't really taken the chance to do some snooping around yet. Every time she wanted to go through with it at the homestead, someone always showed up or the timing was inconvenient or she would chicken out at the last minute, too afraid to get caught. Admittedly, she did have a little look around in Hope's house but, sadly, she found nothing. It appeared the young woman wasn't very sentimental either, so her room was practically bare.

That, or everything was hidden perfectly so that no one would discover it without a thorough search.

Either way, here was a golden opportunity being served to her on a silver platter. This was her chance to find out who she was dealing with here. She'd had her suspicions about them—finding them a little _too_ secretive for their work to be innocent—but now, she could really find some answers.

Of course, there was the chance that she might not _like_ what she discovers, but she figured she won't be satisfied until she finds out. Besides, why should she be so trusting with them if they won't give her simple answers? Yes, they've been hospitable, and yes, they've been assisting her—but that wasn't the point. They were hiding things from her.

And now she was going to find out what.

Coming to a silent decision, she discreetly made her way down the docks towards the ship, playing off that she was simply admiring the vessel, which technically wasn't a lie. Upon closer inspection, it appeared that the ship had been re-painted, ridding it of the old and cracked paint from before.

Taking one last glance behind her, she strolled up the ramp and onto the deck. Her heart rate was picking up slightly. She couldn't believe she was about to do this. It felt _wrong_ , but she was in a tough spot here. Either she searches for answers or she plays the dumb maiden for the rest of her time here. The latter didn't sound all that appealing in her mind, and so she kept an eye out as she crept along the deck towards the captain's cabin.

Once inside, she carefully shut the door and took a deep breath. _I'm in._

She gazed around the cabin, wondering where to start first. She settled with the first and most obvious option—the main desk. She dropped her bag near the door and walked over to the desk, sighing at the sight of all the loose papers spread out over the wooden expanse. Briefly skimming over the contents of a few of them, she found them to be useless and placed them back down again.

She sat on the edge of the large red chair, reaching down to the drawers. "Shit," she cursed lowly, "of course they're locked..."

She attempted to open the other drawers, coming to the same conclusion that they were all locked as well. She skipped the desk and moved onto the other tables in the room, briefly looking at their contents and finding nothing. The beginnings of a frown were tugging at her expression, disappointed at the lack of answers Shay's cabin held. She'd thought for sure that there would've been _something_ useful in here.

The last thing she hadn't looked at was the shelves beside Shay's bed. They contained a few books inside them, but there seemed to be a few loose papers in there as well. She crawled onto the bed, trying not think about how a certain _someone_ sleeps here every night, and began browsing through the books. She picked out the thinnest one first, a dark brown, leathery book with weathered pages.

Her eyes widened when she opened to the first page, finding neat handwriting and a date at the top of the page. _Is this Shay's diary?_

Trying hard not to just make herself comfortable and read through all of its contents, she flicked through the pages, trying to see if there was anything of importance. She paused halfway through turning the page again when she found a small drawing of a familiar symbol. Her eyes eagerly skimmed over the contents, almost dropping the book with a gasp when she read the last sentence.

' _Today, I was officially inducted into the Assassin brotherhood.'_

* * *

 **A/N: Chapter 16, done and dusted—** _ **finally**_ **. Shay is back, Liam is back, and I feel like we're finally going to be getting some shit done. XD I already have a few, ahem,** _ **interesting**_ **things planned out for the next chapter, so be sure to stick around for that. ;)**

 **Also, I don't usually ask for this, but please, if you have the time, leave me a review. I'd like to know what you guys are thinking! :D Do you like Tia? Do you feel like the story's going too slow or too fast? Do I need to edit more carefully (of course I fkn do XD)? Hell, make some suggestions even, I'd love to hear them! ;)**

 **Anyways, until the next chapter guys! SHINeeKey out xx**


	17. Chapter 17

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter 17**

A flurry of mixed emotions swam through Tia's mind as she read the diary entry over and over again, the inky words on the page giving away the true identities of the people she has involved herself with. She couldn't believe it. She has been living with assassins this whole time? Shay, Liam, Hope, Chevalier— _everyone_ —they were all assassins?

She tightened her grasp on the diary, her fingers threatening to create indents in the pages. She should have figured this out sooner. There were multiple signs throughout her stay that hinted at their profession but, _no_ , she was too occupied with befriending them all to notice. Well, to her defense, she _did_ notice, but she definitely wouldn't have come to the conclusion that they were all trained killers.

The weapons, the advanced hearing, the monkey-like climbing, the _secrecy_ —it all made sense now. Of course they wouldn't just hand out valuable information like that to just anybody, even to her, the one they were supposed to be helping. Now that she thought about it, were they really helping her or was _she_ helping _them_?

It would make sense if that were the case, since Achilles was having her deliver all those things for him. Who knew what she was really delivering inside those packages? She cursed herself for not checking at least one of them to see what was inside, but she could never bring herself to do it. She had been too afraid to, stupidly convincing herself that Achilles would magically find out about it if she had, and, in turn, she would be punished for it.

As for the book, everything she has learnt about it up until this point was achieved through her own personal experiences with it—not with their "assistance". She wondered what the real reason was for Achilles and the others to be so interested in it.

 _It's not like it can help them get the edge on their enemies..._ She paused. _Shit, it probably_ can _do that._

She released a regret-filled sigh—she never should have accepted their help in the first place. She should have simply excused herself with the pretence that her family was awaiting her back in Spain or something. She could have easily convinced them with her fluent Spanish. Her parents had been strict with her learning the beautiful language as she grew up, saying it was a part of her family roots, therefore she should know it.

She needed to get out of here. She was already in risky territory by just being here without Shay or Liam's knowledge, and she certainly didn't want to find out how they would react if either of them caught her sitting here with this diary full of things she wasn't supposed to know about nestled in her hands.

She scrambled off the bed, making sure to return all of the books to the shelf _exactly_ how she found them. It wouldn't be smart to leave them scattered all over his bed. She wanted to prolong the amount time she had to escape and hide. If she left it all messed up for them to come back to, she was probably better off just walking up to the group right now and waving the pages in their faces.

Straight away, she hurried over to the cabin door, fully prepared to swing it open and make a run for it, when two familiar voices made her go stock-still. Her brain immediately went into a frenzy as she backed into the cabin and hid behind the desk. She didn't even hear them board the ship, surely they weren't _that_ quiet all the time. Judging by her current predicament—and the news she just found out—it seemed like they had to be.

From what she could hear, it sounded like they were up on the quarterdeck, meaning they would easily be able to spot her if she were to waltz out the door right now. As much as she hated it, she didn't want to see them right now, much less explain what she was doing in the captain's cabin all alone. If it weren't for their presence, she would be off and running to god knows where, away from the lot of them. Perhaps she would even try and find her own way around with the money she earned from being a courier. Even then, that would only last so long until—

She was so deep in her thoughts that she almost had a heart attack when the door to the cabin opened and somebody walked in. She struggled to scoot herself under the desk in fear of being caught, her lengthy dress making it hard to slide along the wooden floorboards without risking a rip in the delicate fabric. She quickly hiked up her dress and pushed herself backwards until she was pressed up against the cool wood of the desk. This way, her whole body was hidden from view.

The low, steady thudding of boots were unhurried as they made their way further into the quiet cabin and closer to her cramped hiding spot. She prayed to god that whoever it was didn't have any plans to come take a seat anytime soon. She didn't think her body was capable of flattening itself into a pancake just to avoid the risk of being brushed by a leg or a foot.

To her dismay, it was almost as if the person could read her mind and was intent on going against her wishes. The person—whom she immediately identified as _Shay_ , thanks to his jacket—stepped in front of the desk and began to shuffle through the papers that sat on top. She was frozen on the spot, her breath practically non-existent as she eyed the tip of his boots. If he sat down, there was no hope of her remaining hidden. In fact, he'd most likely end up kneeing her in the face and that would be no less pleasant than being caught.

He finished reading whatever was so important and moved away from the desk. She relaxed only slightly at this, not daring to move a muscle with him still here. She could hear the ruffle of clothes and she silently prayed he wasn't getting naked with her stuck under here because that would be painfully awkward, regardless of whether she could see him or not. She could already feel her face heating a little at the inappropriate picture.

Thankfully though, he seemed to finish up with whatever he was doing and soon he was gone from the cabin, the door clicking shut behind him as he went. After waiting briefly to make sure he wouldn't come back, she straightened her legs out and began to rub gentle circles into her calves. They'd gone all tingly from pushing herself as far against the desk as she could go. She really hoped that wouldn't happen again for the sake of her poor limbs.

Now that he was gone, she needed to figure out a way to get off the ship. She doubted the best friend duo were going to be leaving anytime soon, so she needed to find a way out without using the door. That, or she would have to wait until they _did_ leave in order for her to slip off the ship undetected but, even then, she still had the crew to worry about. For now, however, she was stuck with option A: _don't use the doors_.

Crawling out from under the desk, she quickly moved about as silently as she could, checking all the windows to see if they would open. She found that a few of them were capable but the gaps were not nearly big enough for her to fit her entire body through—even then, it would still require her to drop into the water and swimming was _not_ an option for her.

"Right." She muttered quietly with a roll of her eyes. She dropped her hand from the last window and returned to her slumping position on the floor behind the desk. "That would be too easy, wouldn't it?"

She didn't know how long she was sitting there for exactly, but it was long enough for her eyes to begin drooping slightly, her body failing to keep a straight posture as she began to fall asleep. It was only when she heard Shay calling out orders to the men, that she shot up from her slouch, eyes wide open.

"Full sail, let's go!"

 _Shit!_

"You heard the captain!" Liam called after him, sounding the slightest bit louder than his friend, "Get a move on!"

A quiet thud sounded as she dropped her head back, an exasperated noise escaping her mouth as she did so. What was she going to do now? She had no idea where they were headed and if she were to reveal herself, who knows what they would do? They would already be suspicious considering she hadn't shown herself this whole time, however long that was, _and_ Shay had come in here already. Honestly, who wouldn't think that was suspicious?

Judging by the lessening amount of light streaming in through the windows, she'd probably dozed off for about two hours. Perhaps a little less? She yawned and stood up. She might as well just make herself comfortable until someone found her. It's not like she could run away now; being surrounded by miles of ocean, no doubt. She sat herself on the large desk chair, sinking into its velvety softness with a quiet sigh. This was definitely better than the hard surface of the floor. Now, all she had to do was wait for the inevitable.

Another half hour passed and she realized it had grown particularly quiet outside. Her brows furrowed in confusion. What were they doing out there? It was never this quiet when she sailed with them last time—only during the night when the majority of the crew were asleep. They weren't even singing their usual round of sea shanties that they liked so much. She eventually shrugged it off, thinking they were probably not in the mood for it today.

By now, she'd made herself as comfortable as possible, leaning back in the chair with her feet kicked up on the desk and the black book resting in her lap as she re-examined its contents. She wanted to take another look at those two symbols again—the cross and the compass-like one. She still wasn't familiar with the first one, but eventually came to the conclusion that they had something to do with the latter symbol. She has seen it multiple times now.

Even today, she saw it on the large banner on the side of the house where they were meeting with Achilles and Kesegowaase. Was it the symbol for the assassins? And if it was, what did it have to do with her? The book was clearly targeting her, what with her name being written inside of it and all. Even the strange person whose voice she heard had told her so, though rather vaguely.

She flipped to a new page, running her fingers over the smooth surface. She began to concentrate, focusing as much attention as she could on the slightly faded paper, and willing it to respond to the questions silently floating through her mind. _Why am I here? Who are these people? Am I safe? Will I ever get to see my family again?_ It was almost like a game of twenty questions.

She almost gave up when the familiar gold print began to embed itself into the paper, right before her very eyes. The process still fascinated her to no end. After all, she had only witnessed it two times before this. It was almost as if the response was getting stronger with each attempt. Eagerly, she began to read the words.

' _Your reason for being here will be revealed soon enough, but it is not yet time. As for your safety, that solely depends on your own actions.'_

"What?" She asked disbelievingly, not at all satisfied with the answer she was given. "But you're the one who sent me here in the first place. I still have no clue what I'm doing and it's been over _five_ months already..."

' _I am not the one who can provide you the help that you want. I am merely a means of guiding you to the correct path.'_

She frowned, almost shaking the book out of frustration. "Of course you can help me! You obviously know what's going to happen. Why can't you just tell me so I can get it over with?"

It didn't reply to her after that, leaving her fuming and wanting to strangle someone around the neck as she glared at the page. Why was it that, ever since she was sent back in time, no one seemed to want to provide her with proper answers? She felt used, insignificant; like a pawn in a simple game of chess that everyone else seemed to know the outcome of. She had no control of what was happening anymore and it was starting to drive her insane.

She threw the book onto the desk, not caring if it knocked a few things over as it landed. _If somebody would tell me what the hell I'm supposed to be doing here then_ maybe _I could get out of here faster._

She yanked her phone out of her dress and plugged in her earphones again. She needed to calm herself down before anyone found her in here. It wouldn't be ideal if she were to start screaming at the next person who walked through the door, which would most likely happen. Switching the music to an almost unbearable volume, she relaxed back into the chair with her eyes closed, the frown still etched onto her face. Eventually, her angry mood subsided into a more peaceful one, though the knot between her brows was a clear indicator that it wouldn't be hard to revert if provoked.

She must have dozed off again, for the next time she awoke, her earphones were being tugged out of her ears. Her eyes snapped open, honey brown irises connecting with ocean blue ones that stared right back at her. She immediately straightened up in the chair and placed her phone away.

"Liam…"

The man raised a brow at her, his face a blank mask. "What are you doing in here, Tia?"

She chose to stay silent, simply giving him a look that said she was not in the mood for an interrogation—which she certainly wasn't. Besides, he clearly knew she was up to something, otherwise he wouldn't be acting so bluntly with her. She was unused to this behaviour from him and she wasn't quite sure how to take the next step.

"I won't question you, but Shay won't be happy and neither will Achilles," he folded his arms and subtly, yet very obviously, glanced around the cabin, "-if you've done what I think you have."

"What makes you think I did anything?"

 _Stupid question._ It only seemed to amuse him, however, since he released a short, breathy laugh. "You and I both know the answer to that."

"Well…" She sighed, flicking her head a little to keep her fringe from tickling at her eyes. "Can you blame me?"

"Not entirely, given your circumstances. But still…" He said, moving to look outside with what appeared to be a reserved facade.

She caught onto it rather quickly, knowing that he was trying to get her to talk without verbally asking her to do so. She wouldn't. It was time to put her foot down now. No more lies. No more secrets. She _can_ and _will_ get her answers, whether it be from Liam, Shay, the others or their damn diaries. She was done with being left in the dark. All she wanted was to be done with it and go back home to her family—return to her normal life.

"Speaking of," she started, finally noticing that the ship was anchored, "-where _is_ Shay?"

"He's busy," was her curt reply.

She rolled her eyes and sunk a little lower into the chair. _This_ was exactly what she was going on about—being brushed off over simple things; never getting to know what's going on. She knew that everyone was entitled to their own amount of privacy, but this was just ridiculous. These were the people she was living with and, not only that, but they were the only ones who knew of her true nature. To her, trust had to be one of the most important factors in this situation, but there was little to none of that at the moment.

"Should I just leave?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Am I in the way?"

He looked back at her then, his blue irises running over her face, almost as if re-evaluating her presence. "No."

She resisted the urge to let out a scoff and leaned her head back to gaze at the ceiling, "Are you sure? 'Cause it really doesn't seem to feel that way."

"You're not in the way, Tia. It's just... a little more complex than what you're thinking." He began a slow pace in front of the desk, watching the tip of his boots as he went, "There are limits to the way we live, and letting people in is one of those things."

"Then, what do I need to do to be " _let in_ "?" She asked.

He shook his head disapprovingly. "It'd be best for you to stay out of it."

She blinked, not entirely ready to accept this in regards to their behaviour. He seemed to be finished with his point, however, as short as it was, and moved over to the doors. "I'm needed outside. Shay will return soon."

* * *

The darkness of the night had long moved in and settled, with the full moon sitting high in the sky amongst the stars, a few wispy clouds spread out here and there. The Morrigan gently bobbed in the calm waters with its sails furled and its anchor dropped, waiting for it's young captain to return. And as far as Tia could tell, the crew seemed to be non-existent. She hadn't heard a peep from them _or_ Liam, and the only thing preventing her from believing the world had somehow frozen was the noise of the crickets hanging around outside.

It seemed like forever; waiting for the young man to return. She didn't even know what time it was but she couldn't bring herself to check her phone. Even if she did, there was no way she was going to try and catch some sleep now. She was much too anxious for any of that; tapping her fingernails on the table and bouncing her legs around to keep herself calm.

Shay was most definitely going to be pissed with her. She did read his diary after all—though it was only the smallest part. She just happened to get lucky and found the right page within the first few flips. But now he would also have to deal with the fact that she wasn't even supposed to be with them in the first place. Hope was probably wondering if she had ran off or gotten abducted, which, if she had gotten off the ship before it set sail, she probably would have done the former.

"Watch out!" A voice yelled, abruptly slicing through the silence of the night and nearly giving Tia a heart attack.

She left the chair to see what was happening, when the vessel rocked harshly and knocked her over onto the floor, her head just barely missing the corner of the desk as she went down. The Morrigan creaked and groaned as cannonball after cannonball was sent flying into her sides, damaging the exterior and causing a loud commotion amongst the crew. Surprisingly, she could pick out Liam's voice over all the noise as he shouted orders to brace and wait for the captain to return.

 _This place is fucking crazy!_ She thought with widened eyes, gripping onto the side of the desk for support as the ship continued to rock about. Already, a few things had toppled over onto the floor and began to roll around with the heavy movements of the ship. _Where the hell is Shay?!_

Another few moments passed and the continuous hits were already starting to take a toll on the poor vessel, loud creaks and groans from the wood overpowering the shouts of the crew. There was a loud thump directly above her head that sounded lighter than the rest of the crashing and banging, and soon Shay's voice could be heard barking orders at his men to get a move on before they get blasted to pieces.

She remained in her position on the floor, hugging the desk for dear life, until she could no longer hear the loud blasting of cannonfire and the ship was steadied. She wondered how much damage that attack actually did to the ship. Was there a hole anywhere? What if there was already water flooding into the lower parts of the ship? Were they going to sink and drown in the middle of the North Atlantic?

Her panicked brain managed to conjure up several ways in which the crew were too late to spot a problem with the ship, resulting in their untimely deaths via the ship sinking and taking everyone down with it.

 _I never should have let Mark convince me to watch Titanic…_

Now that everything was quiet once again, she stood up on shaky legs, debating on whether or not it was a smart idea to walk outside and see if everyone was alright. That was one hell of a bumpy ride and she was _inside_. She couldn't imagine what it would've been like out there in the open, risking being hit by one of the large cannonballs or some flying debris. Hopefully, no one was hurt too badly during the ordeal.

She was only standing there for not even twenty seconds, fixing her hair and dusting herself down, when the door was suddenly opened and the captain of the ship himself stepped in, looking like he wanted nothing more than to crash into his bed and sleep. His dark eyes immediately zeroed in on her as he turned around; looking very awkward as she rubbed at her forearm and looked anywhere but his face.

"So, Liam tells me you've been in here for a while…" Shay began, taking a couple of slow steps toward her, stopping when he was an arm's length away from her. "What have you been up to, lass?"

She closed her eyes for a few seconds, trying to collect her thoughts before she began. She already knew this could either go one way or the other with him. She was just hoping that he would be a little more open to hearing her out than the others. To her, he seems to be the most sympathetic one of them all; someone that she could talk to about her problems and he would be the perfect listener.

Not to say that he _would_ be like that—she didn't know, to be honest. Rather, she had gained that particular image of him over the short times they've spent together in their time of knowing each other.

 _I guess it's time to test that theory…_ "Liam didn't tell you?"

"Only that you've been in here since we left Two Bends." He told her with a small shake of his head. "And that you feel out of place amongst us."

Finally, she looked him in the eyes. "I do," she confirmed, moving back slightly so she could lean her backside on the desk. "It's not even the fact that I'm not from here or even that I haven't known any of you for very long. It's because I feel like I'm expected to trust you guys completely when none of you can do the same for me."

"Oh." He took a seat beside her and leaned his hands on the edge of the table. "I'm sorry you feel that way…"

She studied his expression as he tried to keep it neutral. It was painfully obvious that he was lost on what to say to her, clearly not experienced in the heart-to-heart department. She held back a snort of amusement and coughed into her closed fist instead. Perhaps she should just tell it to him straight instead of beating around the bush.

"I… I know what you are."

His eyes narrowed slightly, creating a small knot between his brows as he looked down at her in a mixture of confusion and curiosity. He rubbed his palm along his mouth before asking, "What do you mean?"

Her lips formed a thin line as she tried to keep her gaze on his, "I mean I know what all of you are. You, Liam, Hope and the rest."

"You mean…"

"You're all assassins, aren't you?"

A moment of silence followed after the reveal, filling the room with nothing but the sounds of the waves lightly slapping against the side of the ship and the sounds of their breathing. She could almost hear the internal debate that he was having with himself as his eyes narrowed even further. His eyes were focused on the floor now, almost as if he were trying to decipher what the meaning of life was, but she knew it was anything but that.

"How did you find out?" He finally asked after a few minutes, not yet tearing his gaze from the floor.

"I may have read a bit of your diary." She admitted, a guilty expression crossing her features.

"My journal? You read my journal?" He asked, his eyes now narrowed for a completely different reason. Anger. Feeling uncomfortable sitting so close to him now, she moved away.

"I'm sorry." She apologized, her slender fingers beginning to fiddle with her dress in a nervous habit. "I _swear_ it was only a few pages. I only needed answers, Shay!"

"Then perhaps it would have been a good idea to ask—"

" _I have!_ " She stressed, cutting him off and flinging her hands up in exasperation. "That's _exactly_ what I'm trying to say here—I ask questions and all of you avoid it like the freakin' plague."

They both glared at each other, Tia's gaze more heated than his for obvious reasons. Nobody seemed to understand what she was getting at here. She let out a huff of air through her nostrils before taking a deep breath.

"Look, I really don't want to argue with you and I'm sorry about what I did, but if you were in my position, wouldn't you have done the same?"

He seemed to pause then, his irritation deflating as he thought over her question. "Aye, I suppose..."

"That's all I wanted to know and now I'll leave the subject alone." She crossed her arms and shrugged her shoulders, "With you, at least."

"Fair enough, lass." He acknowledged, willing to put it behind him. "But next time you're curious about something, you talk to me. No more snoopin'."

He said the words in such a way that it sounded more like an order rather than a suggestion, but she wasn't opposed to it. In fact, she found that she rather liked that idea of having someone to go to now. At least they were both on equal grounds now and there was nothing else to hide.

"Okay," she agreed, finally feeling a bit more at ease now that she knew. She watched him as he tried to hold back a yawn. He was obviously drained from whatever he was doing today and the attack on his ship no doubt intensified that feeling. "I, uh… I guess I should head down to the crew's quarters then."

"Wait." He called just before she reached the door. She turned back to him with a questioning look. He sighed and attempted to beckon her back into the room, "There's no more room down there and the floor is no place for a lady to sleep."

She pursed her lips. What was he trying to get at here? It was only when he motioned towards his bed that she realized what was happening. She immediately shook her head and waved her hands about in front of her, "Oh no, I can't do that. You look like you could use a good rest. And besides," she shrugged her shoulders, "-I brought this on myself by being here when I'm not supposed to be. I'll take it as punishment."

"True." He agreed. Her eyes almost widened as the familiar, cheeky smirk slid onto his face; his attitude basically performing a complete one-eighty. "But there are other ways you could be punished, though I don't think you'll comply with them."

She blinked at him, feeling a little bare under his stare. "The fuck, dude?"

Shay laughed heartily at her reaction and she almost covered her face out of embarrassment. _What is wrong with this guy?_

He stood up straight, kicking his boots off and reaching around himself to remove the belts from around his body. "I almost forgot you were one vulgar little lady."

"Yeah, and I almost forgot you were kind of a smart ass."

This only served to amuse him further as he worked on removing his jacket, quiet chuckles leaving his mouth as he did so. "Just take the bed, lass."

She turned away from him once he began unbuttoning his shirt. "Okay fine, but can you stop with the stripshow, please?"

"Hm?" He innocently raised his brows at her, though she could read the mischief clear in his eyes. "I always sleep without a shirt on."

"Cool, I usually do the opposite when I'm with someone I barely know." She said, shooting him a look and almost gulping when she caught a glimpse of his bare upper chest. It looked _very_ muscular.

"Oh, really?" He wasn't fazed in the slightest as he rolled his jacket up into a makeshift pillow and sat himself on the floor beside the bed with nothing but breeches on. "Maybe you and I can change that."

"I'm underage, man. Calm yourself." She fired back, though she could swear her voice was shaking out of nerves. This wasn't good. At all.

"Alright lass," he said, releasing a sigh as he lie down flat on his back and closing his eyes. When he heard no sign of movement, he opened one eye to peek at her, "Well? I didn't give up my bed for nothing."

"Right." She dropped her bag on the floor and slowly edged towards the bed, deliberately leaving a large amount of space between herself and the young man. Once she stood at the end of the bed, she awkwardly scratched at her head. "I can't sleep in this."

"By all means, you don't have to." He said, closing his eye again. "I wouldn't mind."

At first, she couldn't tell if he was joking around or not, but judging by the fact that his eyes remained closed and there were no traces of the smirk returning, she took it as the latter and gently removed her corset. She hated the idea of sleeping in her dress, but she couldn't—no, wouldn't—remove it. It felt wrong to do so, no matter how badly she wanted to sleep in just her t-shirt. It was already bad enough that she'd taken his bed.

She sighed, leaving the corset by her bag and crawling onto the bed. Removing one of the sheets from the bed, she gently lay it over the top of him before tucking herself in with a sigh.

"Thank you, Shay." She muttered as she was on the brink of sleep, barely hearing him reply with a quiet "sleep well, Tia".

* * *

 **A/N: How did you guys like it? A bit of drama don't hurt nobody, am I right? It was a pretty long chapter too. Worth the wait or nah? Things are really starting to pick up, and with our favourite Irishman back in the picture, things are only going to get more interesting from here on out. I promise. Not only that, but my writing has improved a ton since I started this story! :D**

 **Also, thank you to those who left the kind messages on my tumblr. I loved reading them and have replied to all of them, if you haven't seen it. I tag it under the name of my story, so it should be rather easy to find if it's lost in the void of reblogs. ;)**

 **Oh, and don't mind the change of username. I've just made it so it matched to my tumblr and AO3. Makes it easier for people to find my works, if they want. :) Anyways, until the next chapter! imakemyownblog out xx**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: It only took me until now to remember that Rogue's homestead docks aren't the same as 3's homestead docks. In Rogue, the docks are really small and they'd have to use a dinghy to get to their ships, whereas in 3, the docks are much bigger and can have a ship docked right next to it. This whole time, I've been writing it as 3's docks… Oh well. Small details, small details… Shit. XD**

 **Only Time Will Tell - Chapter 18**

 _July 23rd, 1752 | Davenport Homestead_

The Morrigan bobbed gently in the calming waters of the bay, her crew bustling about on the decks to try and heed to their captain's precise commands of where to place various items and cargo, with the quartermaster smoothly following up on whether the orders were being carried out correctly. They were to make final repairs on the ship and, in order for that to happen, everything needed to be sorted out and organized to Shay's liking first. He was already antsy since they weren't able to carry out full repairs in one go; none of the small villages they stopped at along the way possessing the equipment they required.

They returned to the homestead a little under an hour ago. The pleasant weather had allowed them to sail smoothly between each destination and, after the damage dealt to the ship, it was exactly what they needed. The moment they weighed anchor, Tia was immediately ushered onto dry land by Liam in an attempt to battle off any bouts of seasickness before they went to meet with Achilles. Luckily for her, the nausea was short-lived and it was gone in less than two minutes, leaving her to wonder if she was becoming used to sailing.

Now, she was resting comfortably upon an old tree stump just off to the side, giving her the perfect view of the events happening on board. She offered to see Achilles alone, to let him know about what happened after her sudden disappearance, but Shay, having overheard her speaking to Liam about it, was quick to protest and insisted on the two of them accompany her. She was grateful, really. The thought of telling the man about her _recent_ _knowledge_ was already rather daunting—doing so on her own was even more terrifying. All she had to do was wait until the duo were done sorting the crew out for repairs and then they'd be off.

The mentor wasn't the only one plaguing her thoughts though; she also worried about Hope. She could only imagine what the young woman was thinking when she disappeared that night—whether she was distraught or not worried in the slightest, she would never truly know. She was still a difficult person to read , even after knowing her for nearly six months, it was frustrating as much as it was admirable.

She figured Hope was either in New York or someplace else on _assassin_ business, so the time to speak with her would have to wait. For now, Achilles was the most important one. He was the big boss around here after all—the term "mentor" suddenly making much more sense than it did on the first day.

Tia adjusted herself into a cross-legged position, a quiet sigh leaving her lips as she focused her attention on a certain young man moving about the stationary vessel. The trip had been a real adventure, that was for sure. With him sending a number of harmless flirtations her way, the whole voyage was practically spent with her on the edge of her toes and, to put it lightly, she wasn't pleased with it in the slightest. Her already jumbled feelings about being here in general were growing into something more risky and unwanted, and as angry as she was—at both herself and her situation that never seemed to _slow down_ —she just couldn't help it.

Shay Patrick Cormac has charmed her and she would forever curse herself for allowing it to happen.

The young Irishman turned around suddenly, and she could've sworn her heart skipped a beat when his dark eyes managed to catch hers, a small smile cracking at his lips as he tipped his head towards her in acknowledgement. She quickly diverted her eyes to the floor, resisting the urge to slap herself silly for being caught staring _again_. At this rate, he was going to catch onto her in less than forty-eight hours.

Frankly, she would much rather lock herself in a room than to _ever_ allow that to happen. He already has a field day whenever she so much stutters in his presence, god forbid he finds out about her newfound feelings. His ego _really_ didn't need anymore feeding. Shoulders slumping slightly, another wistful sigh escaped her lips. It wasn't like her feelings would be reciprocated anyway, so it was probably better off being kept as her own little secret.

Her mood once again dampened, she dragged a hand down her face with a groan. Perhaps it would be best if she just avoided him entirely once they reported back to Achilles. Maybe then, the lack of his presence would lessen her feelings, if not destroy them altogether. It would be in her best interest to do so while it was only a small crush anyway. If it turned into anything beyond that—she actually winced at the thought—then she was screwed.

The sound of people approaching her position snapped her back to reality and she immediately straightened up, assuming a lazed position on the tree stump. She lifted a hand to examine her nails, dropping them again when Shay and Liam came to a halt in front of her. Thankfully, they seemed to be in mid-conversation, so they most likely wouldn't catch onto her glum mood. She patiently waited for them to finish whatever they were conversing about, meanwhile her eyes were deliberately avoiding looking at the younger of the two.

"Alright," Liam started, nudging his head in the direction of the manor, "Let's get going. We haven't got all day."

Tia dusted herself off as she stood, a snort bubbling it's way up her throat. "Coming from the one who was chatting like two seconds ago." She muttered under her breath, her voice taking on a nastier tone than intended. She cringed and mentally delivered a smack to her own head.

Liam's brows were raised in mild surprise, and she had no doubt that _his friend's_ were too. She simply waved it off before either of them could ask, and lead the way with a quiet apology, her pace brisk. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to just go home and sulk away in her room, but this matter needed to be addressed first and so she sped up, very nearly breaking into a jog. She almost felt the need to speed up when she realized the others were actually bothering to keep up with her, but she didn't. Instead, she kept her current speed until they reached the manor.

Liam took the initiative and lifted a balled fist to deliver a couple of firm knocks to the oaken door. It was silent as they waited for someone to answer and Tia tried her hardest to keep her puffed breaths at bay— _she was so unfit at the moment, it was worrying_ —when the door was suddenly pulled open by Achilles' wife, Abigail. Or was it Amber? She couldn't remember, to be honest. She hasn't seen her in a long time.

The three of them were soon made comfortable in the dining room, with Achilles situating himself at the end of the table, directly opposite to them. A stern expression overtook his features when Tia revealed what she had found out, leaning forward slightly and tilting his head as if he hadn't heard her correctly. She swore she could see the slightest hint of anger on his face, though, who it was directed towards was unclear, and he stood up suddenly to begin pacing around the room.

Everytime he went to say something, he thought better of it and shook his head. His internal debate seemed to go on for a few moments before he pinned his gaze onto Shay, "Why would you have a journal, of all things, lying around for someone to stumble upon?"

Shay's mouth opened to formulate a reply, but she was quick to jump into his defense. "What are you blaming _him_ for?" She snapped, drawing everyone's attention onto herself. "It's not his fault I decided to go through his shit."

"You're right. It's not." Achilles agreed without missing a beat, pointedly giving her a look of warning for the language, before continuing, "Regardless, due to the nature of our work, such things should be better kept or not kept at all." He reprimanded firmly, turning on his heel to pace along the other side of the room.

"She was bound to find out anyway, mentor." Liam interjected calmly, finally breaking the silence that he'd kept ever since he stepped foot in the manor. "It just so happened to be through a journal and, as such, we should clarify for the brotherhood instead of finding someone to blame."

Tia nodded along to his words in silent agreement, making sure he saw her look of appreciation before addressing Achilles again, "If it's the idea of me revealing your identities to every man in New York that scares you, then you have nothing to worry about." She declared, crossing one leg over the other and folding her arms. "I'd rather not dig my own grave, thanks." She added curtly.

Achilles hummed, his initial anger fading away into a more agreeable and open attitude. She could understand why he felt the need to argue, after all, this wasn't just your average argument over the last slice of pizza. From what she knew, this was a very _large_ and very _active_ group of assassins. Who knows what would happen if their true identities were released to the public?

"Alright, that matter aside," Achilles began, taking a seat once more and placing his folded hands in front of him, "- let us discuss what is to happen with you, Tia."

 _Oh boy,_ she thought, readjusting herself in her chair. There was a pretty good chance she might not like this part any better than the first. "'Kay. What's first?"

Catching onto the sensitive air that now surrounded her, he regarded her more carefully, lowering his voice to that of a more gentle tone. "The first part is in regards as to whether or not you want to continue residing with us." He stated. "The choice is entirely up to you, of course."

There it was—the opportunity to leave all of this behind and start anew, delivered to her on a silver platter. All she had to do was accept it, take her belongings and walk away. But that was just it. She didn't know if she _could_. This place, these people—they were all she knew and, despite the current predicament she was in, she had grown attached to them. Realistically, how long would she really last without them? She was willing to guess that it wouldn't be that long—perhaps a month at the most.

Achilles excused himself to retrieve some refreshments, meanwhile Tia was still in a silent debate with herself. She could feel her focus wavering, however, what with the way the two men beside her were simply observing her in complete and utter silence, almost as if they were too afraid to break her concentration. They probably didn't even realize that that was _exactly_ what they were doing.

Shay quietly called her name and she tensed in her seat, still feeling on edge with him after admitting her newfound affections to herself. Thankfully, Achilles walked back into the room before anything else could be said, handing them each their own cup of fresh water. She took a small sip and then looked up to Achilles, who was patiently awaiting her answer.

"I'll stay, but on one condition."

"Go on." He urged.

"No more _secrets_." She stressed the last word, running a hand through her hair. "If this is going to work both ways, let a girl know when you're up to something, please?"

"Fair enough." He concluded, taking a sip of his own drink. "But, before we go on, you must know that staying with us will put you in a rather... _delicate_ position. We have enemies that will very likely become curious of your affiliation with us. We've already had some potential threats dealt with -"

"Wait, what?" Tia's eyes were wide as she asked, "I'm already being followed?"

"Aye." Shay confirmed. She could see him moving around in her peripherals. "Hope said she had to take out some spies during your stay in New York. They were following you around while you made deliveries."

"Ah, right." She brought her hand up to scratch at her neck, a nervous laugh leaving her lips. She hadn't seen anyone while she was working and that fact only served to make it even creepier. "When you say _take out_ some spies, do you mean…" She trailed off, unsure if she wanted to even know the answer, but the looks on their faces told her everything. She licked her lips, "O-okay, this is gonna take some getting used to."

"We only do what's necessary." Achilles assured her, "I'm assuming you want to step down from your position as a courier then, yes?" At the nod of her head, he continued, "Alright. I shall have another job arranged for you soon—something within the homestead grounds and away from prying eyes."

"Perhaps it would be wise for us to train her in self defense, mentor." Liam proposed, earning himself a quirk of the brow from Tia. He continued, "Surely, she will have to leave the homestead at some point, so she should know how to defend herself if the situation ever comes down to it."

Achilles nodded. "What do you suggest?"

"That we; Hope, Shay and I, take turns in training her to protect herself—guns, swords, hand-to-hand combat and the like. And perhaps teaching her how to _swim_ ," a smirk threatened to crack at his lips when Tia gasped, "- would also be helpful."

"A very wise suggestion indeed, Liam."

Tia could only listen as they continued to discuss her brand new training schedule, a stupefied look spread across her face. How was this decided so quickly? Not only would she have to learn how to swim, but these training sessions were bound to be one-on-one at some point, meaning she would, no doubt, be required to spend alone time with a certain someone she literally _just_ decided she was going to avoid. She wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or cry at her misfortune.

At that moment, Shay leaned toward her to whisper in her ear, "Don't worry, lass. I'll help you with your swimming."

She bit down on her tongue then, trying to hold in the disheartened groan that threatened to leave her mouth. _Lord, save me…_

The next hour was spent touching on a few other smaller matters that Tia wasn't particularly worried over, but was glad to finally know about. They also brought up the book again, briefly mentioning something about a "Piece of Eden", but decided it would be better discussed on another day when everyone was well rested. Leaving it at that, the three of them bid Achilles farewell and they were out the door.

While Liam and Shay were quick to jump into a debate over what to have for dinner, she quietly dismissed herself in favour of going for a short walk to the stream, wanting to spend some time alone before she was thrown into yet another busying schedule. Once she got there, she took a seat close to the edge of the stream, where the ground wasn't quite wet, but wasn't exactly dry either—the wet patch she would undoubtedly have on the back of her dress is the least of her worries at the moment. Now relaxed, she began to pick away at the grass with gentle fingers, piling the small pieces on top of each other to create a little hill.

Who knows? Maybe she would come to enjoy learning how to defend herself. Her parents actually enrolled her in some self defense classes when she was younger—capoeira, if she remembered correctly. It was pretty fun and she liked her teacher, though, she remembered having to pull out after a few months when she broke her arm trying to pull off one of the more intricate moves. After her recovery, instead of returning to the class, she found herself fully immersed in her hobby of dancing and was later enrolled into hip-hop classes—after much begging to her parents, of course.

A small part of her was glad that she would once again have a routine to follow. She figured the schedule would somewhat match to that of schooling from her time—in terms of "class" times and breaks, that is. The actual content that she was learning, however, was in a completely different ballpark and that thought made her want to hide away because in her mind she knew that, ultimately, they were really only teaching her how to kill.

She wondered what her parents would think of this new arrangement. She liked to think they would be understanding of her position and how she couldn't really say _no_ to the brotherhood, but then there was a small part of her that knew her parents would be disappointed—not in her, but in the situation she's managed to wind herself up in. Would they want her to stay with these assassins? Or would they rather her make a living somewhere else until she found a way home?

It wasn't like she _could_ make a living somewhere else now anyway. It was too late for that because, like Shay mentioned earlier, she was already being followed by some of their enemies. If she were to back out now and move into the city on her own, who knows what could happen to her? Would she be kidnapped? It's not like she'd be able to tell the enemies much if that were to happen anyway, since she probably knew as much as they do about the assassins—if not, _less_ than they do—regardless of the fact that she was living with them.

She would video call Mark later and speak to him about all of this, she decided. He was a great listener and, when it came down to it, he was an amazing candidate for lifting one's spirits—a trait she strongly admired in him. Not only that, but she knew Mark would want to wish her a—

A loud snap came from the line of trees behind her and she tensed, her fingers momentarily pausing their quest on picking away some more blades of grass. The sun had only just begun it's descent into the horizon and she immediately regretted coming to sit out here, the forest surrounding her seeming significantly darker than it probably was to her alarmed mind. Hope once mentioned something about the wolves and bears that would occasionally roam this area, alongside the deers, of course. With that terrifying thought in mind, she held her breath and, very slowly, turned her head to glance over her shoulder.

She sighed when her eyes landed on the culprit, a hand coming up to pat at her chest in relief. "Oh my god, it's just you…"

"I did that on purpose so you would hear me comin' this time." Shay chuckled, wandering over to her, his boots crunching at the dry leaves on the ground.

"Uh, I kinda heard you last time too, dude." She reminded him, the incident where he came across her bathing still rather fresh in her mind.

"Oh yeah." He recalled, a smirk cracking at his features.

Heat threatened to fill her cheeks when he side-eyed her and she quickly went back to her grass-picking activity in hopes of hiding her embarrassment. "Did you and Liam decide on dinner yet?" She asked.

"Aye, we did. I actually brought some with me if you want any." He offered, taking a seat beside her and placing a brown sack she didn't realize he had on the ground in between them. Lifting out a plateful of meat and potatoes, he held it out to her, "You hungry, lass?"

She looked at him briefly before reaching over and grabbing a small cut of potato. She gave him a small murmur of thanks before popping the bite-sized piece into her mouth. Her face scrunched up slightly when she realized it had gone cold, but she continued to chew and swallow anyway. "I really need to cook for you guys one day." She commented, mostly to herself, before taking another piece of potato.

His brows raised in consideration. "Now that's something I wouldn't be opposed to." He lifted his own bit of potato to inspect it, a small, jesting smile on his face, "Liam isn't exactly the best cook around here, as you can probably tell."

She laughed quietly, "Yeah…"

The two of them continued to eat quietly as the sun finally disappeared, making way for the twinkling stars. She continued to steal little glances at the young man every now and then, taking notice of the way he seemed to be completely at ease just sitting here, munching away on his food without a worry. He didn't _seem_ assassin-like to her—not that she knew how assassins were supposed to act in the first place. Now that she thought about it, they probably wouldn't make good assassins if they acted like it.

He shifted the nearly-finished plate in her direction. "Here, you eat the rest. I've had my fill." He told her, straightening his legs out in front of him as he leaned back on the palms of his hands.

"Okay," she said, lifting the plate and placing it in her lap. "Did you eat before you came?"

"Aye. That was supposed to be just for you but I got hungry again on the way down here." He revealed with a cheeky grin, clearly not feeling guilty about it all.

She half-heartedly glared at him. "Rude."

"What?" He challenged as he cocked his head to the side. "Don't tell me you would've finished all of that on your own..."

She snorted, "I could've finished this whole thing, easy."

"I'll remember that next time I bring you food, then." He laughed, before gazing back at the sky.

It was a while later when she finally finished off her dinner with a sigh of contentment, returning the now-empty plate onto the ground and, mimicking Shay's position, leaned back onto her hands. Her dress scrunched up in a messy fashion but she wasn't particularly worried about fixing it up now that it was almost too dark to really see much.

"Are you alright, lass?"

His sudden question prompted her to look over at him, squinting her eyes slightly to try and make out his face in the darkness. Figuring it to be a useless attempt, she shrugged, "I guess so. Why?"

"You seemed a little ill-tempered earlier." He stated. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She sighed. It didn't seem like he was going to give up on this topic anytime soon. "No, I'm not." She admitted quietly. "And I probably won't be until I'm home again. You know... It's supposed to be my birthday today."

"Oh?" He sat up fully then, facing her in interest. "You're eighteen now, right?"

"I'm _supposed_ to be eighteen, yeah, but I don't _feel_ like I've aged at all." She told him, hinting towards something else, but not really knowing how to word it.

Not seeming to understand what she was getting at, he chuckled, "Hah, that's normal. I don't feel twenty years old, but here I am."

"No, what I mean is that I don't think I'm aging at all." She reiterated with a determined shake of her head. She didn't have to see his features to know that his face was most likely scrunched up in confusion.

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean…"

"Shay, ever since I've been here, I've not changed at all." She pointed a finger towards her silvery lilac locks, "The first indicator was my hair, which isn't this colour naturally, by the way." She added.

"It's not?" He asked, sounding genuinely bemused.

"Nope, it's actually a similar colour to yours and should've already been growing back at the roots by now, but it's not. There's even this tiny scratch on my leg that hasn't healed since I've been here."

"Ah, I'd ask you to show me..." He trailed off, a suggestive lilt to his voice.

She squirmed on the spot, her face beginning to heat up. "Don't even, mate." She deadpanned, tempted to reach over and smack him upside the head. "But seriously, I think I'm frozen in time or something. And that damn book…" She grit her teeth before continuing, "It only tells me what it _wants_ to tell me. Otherwise, it's like talking to brick wall."

He hummed lowly, his thoughts clearly on the same wavelength as hers now. There was nothing she could do anymore—not when it involved the book, at least. That thing is practically useless until " _the time is right"_. Then, she hoped, it would finally reveal some answers on how to get back home.

"Are you really going to teach me how to swim?" She asked, deciding to change the subject before she became angry again.

"Eager to learn, are we?"

"Hell no." She scoffed. "I'm just wondering why the heck you'd willingly want to subject yourself to this."

"Ah." He shook his head in amusement. "It won't be that bad once you get the hang of it. Besides, who better to teach you than someone who's been a sailor for most of his life and is now captain of his own ship?" He pointed out, his voice proud.

"Yeah." She dragged the word out, picking away at the grass again. "You'll probably come to regret your decision later. Anyways," she stood up and dusted herself off, "we should probably get going. It's getting late."

"I suppose you're right. I'll walk you home then." He agreed, pulling something out of the sack before tossing it over his shoulder and standing up as well. "We need to be up early anyway, so we can begin your lessons."

She paused. "Wait, we're starting _tomorrow_?"

"Aye, lass. Everyone else will be busy with other things, so why not get a head start while I'm actually free of my duties? Also, one last thing before we go..."

She blinked when he held something out to her. She couldn't quite make out what it was, but it looked to be the shape of a bottle. Gently taking it into her own hands, the cool glass prompted a shiver out of her. "What is it?" She asked, brows furrowed in suspicion.

" _Liquid regret._ " He quoted her with a chuckle.

"Uh, yeah, not happening." She denied, trying to shove the bottle of rum back into his hands, but he wouldn't take it. "Shay, I don't want to…"

"Come on." He coaxed in a voice that told her he was grinning widely now. "Just one sip for your birthday."

"Ugh, fine, you piece of—" She promptly cut herself off by touching the bottle to her lips and throwing her head back, swallowing the amber liquid down in one big gulp that left an uncomfortably warm feeling in her stomach and a weird burning sensation in her throat.

"How's it taste?" He asked, finally taking the bottle back from her and taking a swig.

"L-like shit." She coughed, turning on her heel to begin the trek back to Hope's house.

His eyes trailed after her figure as he followed her, his spirited laugh echoing into the night. "Happy birthday, Tia."

* * *

 **A/N: Yay, for an early-ish update! I hope you guys enjoyed the very lazily edited chapter! :')**

 **And thank you to those have left the lovely messages for me on my tumblr, as well as the awesome reviewers on here! Every follow/favourite is highly appreciated and it's good to see a few familiar readers, as well as new ones, responding to my later chapters—especially with all the slow updates I've been doing. XD**

 **For now though, guys, imakemyownnblog out xx**


	19. Chapter 19

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter Nineteen**

 _July 24th, 1752 | Davenport Homestead_

Light, sock-covered footsteps trudged along the wooden floorboards of the quiet home as the occupant slowly made their way towards the front door, a tired yawn escaping her lips. She didn't even need to see him to know that it was Shay, but that didn't give him an excuse to wake her up at—

" _Five thirty_ _in the morning?_ " Tia struggled to glare at him with the sunlight beaming down in her sleep-ridden eyes, causing her to squint. "Really, dude?"

He didn't look apologetic in the slightest as he invited himself inside, a lively expression on his face that made her want to question his sanity—who was _ever_ this happy so early in the morning? He sauntered over to the dining table and made himself comfortable on one of the wooden chairs. "Aye, best we get started early. I have a few things to do later, but don't worry," he winked at her, "I'm yours for the morning."

"O…-kay." She blinked at him, still half asleep. As much as she liked the idea of spending time with him, even if it _was_ to be taught how to swim, she found the idea of snuggling back into the warm covers of her bed much more appealing.

"Where are you going?" He queried as she began to walk away, his amused eyes following after her sluggish figure.

"Back to bed."

"Is that an invitation?"

" _Do not_ , Shay."

"Ah, but," he chuckled, "can you blame me for thinking such things when you're wearing so little?"

Her sleepy mind managed to catch onto his suggestive words with little delay, her widened eyes shooting down to gape at her attire. Oh, _good god_ , she was only wearing her shift! She bolted down the hall towards her room with a squeak, trying to ignore the hearty laughter that followed after her. After the door was abruptly thrown shut behind her, she immediately began to get dressed, feeling rather naked after all that.

She grunted a series of colourful insults under her breath as she went about pulling on a pair of dark breeches and tucking in her baggy white long-sleeved shirt. She scrounged around for them last night, knowing that swimming in a dress was highly impractical, especially for a beginner such as herself. Why there was men's clothing in Hope's house, she didn't know, nor did she really want to know, but her natural curiosity already had her crossing off the idea that it might have been Shay or Liam's for they were too definitely too small to fit either of them. Either way, they were her clothes for now.

She gently ran a brush through her tangled hair, opting to leave it down instead of tying it back. With her long hair, it wasn't exactly fun trying to untangle the wet locks from the black ribbon she uses to tie it back. Grabbing her boots, she shuffled back into the dining where Shay was now helping himself to one of the juicy, red apples on the table.

A small noise of approval left the back of his throat when he saw her change of attire, his words coming out muffled around a mouthful of the fruit, "You ready?" He asked, taking another bite before he even swallowed the first one.

She shook her head, slightly disgusted by his lack of eating manners. "Just let me put my shoes on and I'm good to go."

"So," Shay continued as she took a seat on the ground and slipped her boots on, not missing the way her hands shook as she tightened the laces up, "have you ever been taught how to swim before?"

"I have." She answered tersely, yanking on a stubborn lace when it wouldn't pull through the holes properly. "It was a long time ago." She added carefully, making it rather clear that she didn't wish to disclose any more information regarding the matter.

"Ah…" Shay nodded, trailing off. It wasn't that hard to hear the sour note in her words, so he changed the subject. "How was your friend last night?"

She grinned, "Mark?" At his nod, she continued, "Yeah, he's good. He got a new job recently but he doesn't want to tell me what it is for whatever reason. Kinda reminds me of how you guys were actually..."

"Oh." Shay shifted in his seat when she said that, a sheepish expression taking over his face. He tried to hide it behind a large bite of the juicy fruit, making her giggle.

"I'm just messing with you, you dodo, don't stress. Anyways," she lifted herself from the floor and gestured towards the door, "I'm ready. Lead the way."

Shay sprung out of his chair, but not before reaching across the table to grab some more fresh apples to shove in his seemingly bottomless pockets. She didn't quite see how many he took but, judging by the various bumps and lumps around his hips, there were probably around five or six sitting in there.

"Or I could've just grabbed a bag for you." She said plainly, shaking her head when he held out an apple for her. "No thanks."

He waved a hand at her statement, "I'll be taking this off when we swim anyway, so the jacket can be my bag."

With that, he lead her out of the house and down towards the stream. The journey there was mostly silent, with Shay commenting on a few random things as he crunched away on his second apple. She found that he was much more chipper and talkative today, though she couldn't figure out why that was. Dare she say it, he even had somewhat of a _spring_ in his step.

 _Someone must've had a good sleep last night…_

When they arrived, he immediately went about setting up their little spot for the first half of the day. As he rolled his collection of apples onto the jacket, he told her to get ready to hop into the water. Unsure of what to do other than remove her boots, she slowly edged closer to the water until the soles of her feet became wet and an involuntary shiver fought its way up her spine, both from the freezing temperature and the knowledge that she was finally going to learn how to swim again. The last time wasn't so pleasant.

Her eyes darted upwards when Shay moved past her, treading into the water until he was waist deep. With an encouraging smile on his face, he beckoned her to join him, "Come on in. It's not so bad once you get used to it."

He looked so in his element being surrounded by the flowing waters of the river that she was almost jealous of him for a second. Her lips curled downwards in annoyance. How ridiculous. Of course he looks _in his element_. The water has been a big part of his life since he was young, just like her with dancing.

Knowing there was no way out of it, she released a shaky breath and walked in until she too was waist deep. But he was still a good metre and half away from her. She plucked at the shirt that was already beginning to cling to her form. "Um—"

Before she could say anything else, however, he gestured for her to keep coming with a few more waves of his arm. "Just a little bit further, lass, you can do it."

She complied—very uncomfortably, mind you—and walked further in until she was standing directly in front of him, her body rigid with anxiety and her toes digging into the mud beneath her feet. The water was now well and truly above her waistline and she couldn't get over the feeling that he wanted them to go in deeper. Hopefully that wouldn't be a part of today's lesson or she _may_ have a few choice things to say to him. With her fist.

"Are you alright?" He asked, noticing how she struggled to take her eyes off the water, almost like she was trying to visualize her feet standing on something solid. "Tia?"

She blinked, trying not to focus on how little baby waves would hit against her sides almost every two seconds. "Yeah! I'm fine." _So far._ So far, she was fine. Another shaky breath. "Yep…"

"Hey," he started, snapping his fingers in front of her face to grab her attention, "I won't let anything happen to you, alright? You can trust me."

She scoffed inwardly. Little did he know that she only reason she came out this far was _because_ she trusted him. She didn't even venture out this far when she was bathing. Instead of telling him that though, she lamely replied with "okay". He seemed to be happy with her answer despite the fact that it was clipped, and eagerly commenced with the first lesson. Today, he simply wanted her to float. At her confused look, he went on to explain that, as one of the basic fundamentals of swimming, he wanted to be sure that she could do it on her own with confidence before progressing any further.

As expected, she was terrified of being tipped back and kept latching herself onto his shoulder before any more water could cover her neck or her face area. They tried the same thing several times, with Tia gasping in air and shooting herself upright whenever she felt like the water was going to close in around her. Extremely embarrassed by this, she would offer him several apologies as she tried it _again_. He was completely patient with her, however, and constantly reassured her that she was doing fine, even though she knew she wasn't. Not really.

It was probably the twelfth time of trial and error that she finally did it. She was floating! A wide smile broke out on both of their faces. "There you are, lass!" Shay beamed, gradually moving his arms away from her to show her that she was finally doing it on her own. "You're doing it!"

She laughed in joy, her eyes trained onto the bright blue sky above her. "Holy shit, this is so weird," she breathed, spotting a stray cloud at the corner of her eye, "but kinda cool at the same time."

Never in her life did she think she would be doing this. It felt strangely comforting to just lie there and take in the view above her, not caring that the water was surrounding her, hugging her. Now she understood why Mark loved to do this in the pool. It was almost as if she was being shielded away from the rest of the world, and it was just her and the sky. Nothing else.

The water beside her began to swish and she heard Shay comment, "It is pretty relaxing, no?"

Pulling herself up, she couldn't help but to laugh at the sight of him floating around in a similar fashion, a laidback expression taking over his features. He looked like he could just lay there for hours with his eyes closed. She had no doubts that he would too, if given the chance.

"A part of me thinks that you only wanted to teach me just so you could do this." She claimed, moving away when the current continued to carried him towards her.

One of his eyes cracked open to look at her. "Which part of you?" He asked, shamelessly disregarding the rest of her statement. The corner of his lips quirked upwards when he felt some water splash in his direction, missing everywhere but his left arm. Finished with his little jest, he stood upright again, "Did you want someone else to teach you?"

"I never said that…" She attempted to carry out her new skill once more.

"Good." He watched her carefully, hovering his hands near her sides just in case she needed some assistance, but seeing her conquer the feat on her own, he smiled and backed up. "Besides, I quite like the idea of having a student of my own."

"You've never taught anyone before?"

He shook his head, "I have but nothing like this. I normally only teach one or two small things and then the reins are given back to Liam, Hope and the others. Apparently, I'm still a student myself." His face looked thoughtful for a moment, before adding, "Which is true, I suppose."

She hummed, "Ah but, teaching can also be a part of the learning."

"Who told you that?" He asked curiously.

"My dance teacher said it all the time. He always got the parents to bring in their little ones so we could each have a turn at teaching a small group of them." She smiled at the memories. "Which reminds me, I still have to teach _you_ how to dance."

"Aye, you do," he agreed, also remembering their deal from months ago when they barely knew each other. "I don't suppose you have any free time tonight?" He asked after a moment of silence.

She wanted to laugh at him then, amused by the fact that it almost sounded like he was asking her out to dinner. _A girl can dream…_ "I'm afraid you'll have to take that up with Achilles, man. I don't even know when I'm free myself."

He grinned down at her before retaking his own floating position beside her, "Noted."

* * *

A couple of hours later, Tia found herself being guided down to the training grounds by Liam. He briefed her over what he was expecting out of their lesson today and she immediately knew that this was going to be _very_ different from Shay's lesson. And that made her incredibly nervous. Not only was Liam considered a higher rank than Shay, but he was also more strict in nature when it came to work and training.

With her new set of men's clothing sopping wet from her swimming lesson with Shay, she left them to dry outside and opted to wear her modern day clothing instead. She knew this lesson was going to require a lot of physical effort, so she (gladly) packed away her dresses for the rest of the day, choosing her own comfort over what was considered appropriate for a woman of these times. Besides, the homestead was rather quiet at the moment so she wasn't particularly worried about offending anyone.

Once they reached the small clearing where she once watched Liam shoot some dummies, she was instructed to stand a few paces away before coming at him with all she's got. She blinked dumbly, not quite believing her ears. "You want me to what now?"

"I need to assess you; see what you are capable of," he pointedly glanced at her arms that were lazily hanging by her sides, "or what you're _not_ capable of."

Surprisingly, his words didn't offend her in the slightest. She knew she was lacking in the upper physical strength department. It's not like she worked out or anything. Really, dancing is her only real form of exercise, and she hasn't been able to do any of that with all the drama going on lately. She made a mental note to catch up on some stretches and a few short dance routines at home later tonight when she was free.

"Not gonna lie," she widened her stance, her toes wiggling slightly in anticipation, "this is probably going to suck…"

He shook his head and steeled himself for an attack, his eyes narrowing in on her as she moved forward, "Don't worry about it too much. Just do your best."

Straight after the words left his mouth, she moved in with a quick jab of her fist aimed directly towards his solar plexus. He caught her wrist with a gloved hand just before it could connect and twisted, forcing her back to him before he shoved her away like she was nothing more than a mere fly buzzing around his space. She huffed and turned around, already preparing herself for another go. He didn't smile at her nor did he offer her any words of encouragement like Shay might have done; he just watched, silently awaiting her next move.

She swallowed thickly, trying to ignore the sharpened look in his eyes as he watched her fists clench and release. They both knew she was no match for a _trained killer_ , but she could sure as hell try to hit him at least _once_. Who knows? Maybe she could trick him, though the chances of that actually working were slim to none. His movements were calculated, almost like a tiger on the prowl. It was off-putting and she wanted to run away but then she remembered that this was Liam, the man who lent her his jacket to keep her warm. She had nothing to be truly afraid of. It was just a training lesson, he wouldn't _really_ hurt her.

With that last thought in mind, she shot herself forward with a fierce kick sent towards his kneecap. Just as she expected, he sidestepped her attack easily and before he could move away, she sent her right fist flying into his gut. To her surprise, it connected—and it hurt her _own_ hand, for God's sake—but it barely fazed him, his face still set like stone and unyielding of any emotion. He kicked her legs out from under her and she fell to the grassy floor with a loud thud, a whoosh of air escaping her lungs from the impact.

"Ow!" Annoyed, she lifted herself up and kept a closer watch on his movements as he tried to circle behind her. Not willing to let him out of her sight, she turned around with him, moving backwards in case he decided to try anything. "I thought you were assessing me?"

"I am." He replied in turn.

She almost squeaked in fright when he jumped towards her, a strong swing of his arm aiming straight towards her face. If she could somehow watch herself and Liam right at this moment, she probably would have laughed at how ridiculous she looked trying to avoid his unrelenting fist. He read her next move easily, which was to try and run away from him, and he tripped her up again, sending her sprawling to the ground in an unceremonious heap.

"Agh! What the heck, Liam?" She complained, rubbing gentle circles onto her sore hip that had taken the brunt of the fall.

Her pained expression seemed to snap him out of his trance and he held his hand out for her, pulling her up with ease. "You're actually not that bad." He praised.

"Yeah well," she brushed the grass from her clothes with a frown, "it certainly doesn't feel that way."

His lips quirked into a small smile. "You're much quicker than I expected and relatively precise with your movements; quick to improvise as well. Similar to Hope in a way actually."

She took the compliment with a grain of salt. " _But?_ "

"But your hits are weak and you make it easy for your opponents to read your movements." He finished, raising a brow in question when she scoffed.

"I _did_ manage to get a hit in though…"

"Aye, and I commend you for that. But it won't save your skin if you ever find yourself in a real scrap." He motioned for her to follow him further up the track. "I reckon we can use your speed to your advantage—through evasion rather than offense."

She sighed in relief.

"But we still need build up your strength."

She cussed under her breath. She thought she saw him grin in amusement but passed it off as a trick of the light when it vanished as quickly as it appeared. It wasn't long before the two of them came across a small campfire where two young men dressed in yellow— _more assassins_ —had sat down to eat their lunch. She recognised the younger one from the cramped carriage ride from New York a couple of months ago. He definitely seemed to remember her too, judging by the way his eyes lit up in recognition when he saw her.

"Afternoon, Liam." They greeted in perfect unison. They side eyed each other in surprise, not expecting that to happen, and Tia had to hold back a laugh at their baffled expressions.

Liam nodded his head in acknowledgement and asked them how their training was going, exuding the exact same air of confidence and authority as Hope had when she spoke to their travelling companions all those weeks ago. Unlike before, these two didn't seem to mind her presence among them and responded in kind, even giving Liam an update on their recent assassination contracts while she stood there listening in with mild interest.

 _Hm, Achilles must have updated the rest of the assassins on my situation..._ She was still trying to decide whether that was a good thing or not, when Liam suddenly changed the subject to her own training.

The older one, who was probably somewhere around his late twenties, looked over to her with critical eyes, making it clear to her that he was sizing her up. He obviously didn't perceive her as much of a threat since his dark green eyes only lingered on her for a few seconds at most—if she had to guess, it was probably because of her hair—before his attention was back to Liam again.

"We could help you with her training if you'd like?" The younger one offered amiably, earning himself a nudge in the gut from his friend who didn't look too enthused about the idea.

"Ah," Liam breathed a laugh, glancing down at said girl who looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here, "it's only her first day, lads. She'll be training under the supervision of myself and Shay for the moment, as well as Hope and Chevalier when they return from their current missions."

The younger was evidently disappointed, "A lucky one to be trained under all four of you then."

"Aye, we'll get her up to speed in no time. Until then, she's off limits. Mentor's orders."

* * *

Her tired legs wobbled as she wandered into the dark living room. It was nearly eight o'clock, she could barely see a thing and she had _just_ finished up with Liam for the day. She was more than ready to collapse into bed for a well deserved rest, dinner be damned. Turns out, she greatly underestimated how strict of a teacher Liam would be. He was thorough and liked to make sure she understood everything completely before moving on.

After they finished talking with the two men, whom she now knew as Lewis and Henry— _Lewis_ being the younger, less intimidating one—they had gone straight towards a narrow path that circled right around the Davenport manor, and he had her run around it twice without stopping in order to ' _test her speed and endurance_ '. She almost passed out when she finished; the extreme lack of exercise over the course of her stay catching up to her.

Once her breathing evened out and she wasn't panting like a dog, he got her to practice a few rounds of kicks and punches on one of the training dummies, making sure that she used the proper techniques this time so she didn't end up hurting herself in the process. It still hurt, despite learning how to carry them out properly, and her arms and legs were now littered with small cuts and bruises from repeatedly hitting the coarse material of the dummies ( _and_ the belts and buckles on Liam's outfit).

By the end of the day, she was repeating the words ' _I will not complain_ ' in her head like a mantra to stop herself from snapping at anything that moved. Even when she _did_ happen to snap at Liam for something, he remained patient with her and allowed her a few minutes to rest. To say she hated Liam's lesson was a _huge_ understatement. She thought Chevalier would be the worst one (though she was yet to find that out), but she was willing to bet that even _he_ couldn't be as bad as this.

With a languid pace, she tread into the kitchen for a drink of water, not even noticing that Shay was situated at the dining table, looking at her with an expression akin to shock.

"You look absolutely shattered, lass." He pointed out, as if she wouldn't already know that herself.

Her reaction time was slow and by the time she looked up at him, he was already up and out of his chair, heading over to help her sit down. She waved him away, a quiet hiss escaping her lips as she lowered herself onto the chair. She hadn't felt this kind of burn in her legs in a long time; not since she last took a ballet class.

"Yeah, no thanks to Liam." She mumbled in response, her shoulders slumping. Her messy hair had long fallen from its bun, the ribbon she tied it up with no doubt lost somewhere amongst the dirt and grass of the training area. She hadn't bothered to try and find it in the dark. She added, "He's so _full on_ , man. I swear I almost died."

Shay chuckled, "Liam would never let that happen. He just likes to be," he finally took notice of all the marks across her hands and arms, " _thorough_."

"I can tell."

"Here," he said, dragging a chair in front of her so he could sit down too, "let me have a look at those."

She immediately shook her head, "Oh no, I'm fine. I'll do it myself later."

But Shay wasn't having it and he grabbed her arm in a firm, yet gentle grip, bringing it closer to his face in order to see it better in the semi-darkness. The only sources of light were a few small candles scattered around the kitchen and the moonlight shining in through the windows. She tried her best to calm her racing heart as he leaned closer to inspect her tiny wounds, a look of utter concentration on his face.

"U-uh, I'm alright, it's just my muscles that hurt, really…" She trailed off as he lifted her other arm, running his thumb gently over the top of a particularly prominent bruise in the crook of her elbow. She could already feel the goosebumps forming on her skin and she jerked her arm away from him. "I said I'm good!"

He backed away from her, his dark eyes round in surprise from her outburst. "Sorry, lass. I was just trying to help."

"No, I know that." She sighed and shook her head in guilt. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just… I'm just tired."

"It's alright, I understand." He stood up and pushed his chair back to its original position by the table. He gestured towards her, "Do you need any help getting to bed?" He asked.

She automatically gave him a look at the suggestive meaning behind those words, but softened upon seeing the innocent expression on his face, "No, thank you, Shay."

He looked like he was about to protest, but thought better of it and moved away once again. "I'd best let you rest, then. Have a good night, Tia." With that, he turned on his heel and left with one final glance over his shoulder.

She sat there for a long while, her mind still fried after the long day. It was only when she finally decided to get ready for bed that she realized Shay must have been here to learn some dancing with her. She would have to make it up to him somehow.

She groaned, feeling even worse. "Fuck. I'm sorry, Shay…"

* * *

 **A/N: I can't believe I'm almost at chapter 20 already. It feels like yesterday that I just started this fic, holy shit. XD Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed that because I need your opinions/feedback.**

 **I was recently tempted to put this fic on hiatus because I felt as if no one was really interested in Shay anymore, therefore making me feel a little less motivated to write for him. Don't worry, I definitely** _ **won't**_ **be doing that anymore. I was just feeling like a shitty author, that's all. Instead, I will just be focusing on rewriting/editing the past chapters rather than updating for now (unless I see you guys are actually alive and want more XD). It's getting to that part of the game where there's a two-year jump to 1754, so I'll be filling in for that rather than skipping ahead two years as well.**

 **I think that's all I want to address for now. Remember that you can come visit me on tumblr under the same username. I'm on there a lot, so I'll definitely see a message if you guys send me one. ;) Until next time my lovely readers, imakemyownblog out xx**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N:** _ **Boy**_ **, do you guys got a long chapter ahead of ya! Think of it as a treat for the long wait and as a little celebration for hitting 100k words. There's a few minor changes that might not line up with some facts previous chapters, but they'll be edited in ASAP. So yeah, just a warning XD Also, this is officially my longest fic now and** _ **it's all Shay's fault.**_

 **Enjoy the heights of my late-night-cannot-be-fooked editing. XD**

 **Only Time Will Tell - Chapter 20**

 _July 26th, 2016_ _| Western Australia_

The engine to the cherry red Kingswood rumbled before it fell quiet, the owner of the car sighing and tucking his keys away into the pocket of his leather jacket. His deep cerulean eyes gazed up at the quiet two-storey house before him, wondering where on earth he was going to start first. It's been several months since he last saw the owners of the house or their daughter in person, and now it was up to him to find out what was going on.

His black sneakers crunched on a few fallen leaves as he stepped out of the car, a shiver escaping him as the cold wind tried it's hardest to sneak past every gap in his jacket, biting at his skin. Shutting the door behind him, he made sure to lock it before heading up the limestone driveway. Instead of going up to the front door, he went straight past it and jumped the tall, slat fence around the side of the modernly-styled home.

To his surprise, the backyard was kept neat and clean, though by whom, he had no idea. That was the first question that ran through his mind when he did this the first time. The grass was watered, the weeds were killed, the hedges were trimmed— _everything_ , right down to cleaning of the water feature on the wall, was cared for, as if someone was still living here. Yet, he hasn't seen anyone for months. Who was doing this? When were they doing this? And, most importantly, _why_ were they doing this?

That's what Mark wanted to find out today.

Determined, he strode right over to the water feature and reached his hand behind a loose brick, being mindful not to get his sleeves wet by the thin stream of water flowing out of the pump. It took a second of fiddling around before his fingers finally brushed over a small, black device, and he pulled it out with a satisfactory grin. He clicked the back cover open and pulled out a thin, black card. Inserting the little card into his phone, he waited for it to load up before opening the file and selecting the video.

"Time to find out who's been going in and out of here…" He muttered to himself.

With a few quick swipes of his thumb, the video divided itself into multiple parts, making it easier for him to sift through them by viewing the thumbnails. He scrolled down a few times before something finally caught his eye. A darkly dressed figure in one of the stills. _Gotcha…_

Eyes narrowing in suspicion, he tapped on the video and watched as it began to play out. At first, nothing happened and it simply showed the empty backyard, the sounds of birds chirping and the constantly running water feature in the background, but then he saw it—movement. The man in the dark clothes appeared on the screen with his phone in hand, followed by two others that looked very much like your average security guards. As soon as he saw their mouths moving, he plugged in his headphones and turned up the volume, concentrating on making out the words.

The darkly dressed man spoke up first. "You two know the drill." He said, his deep voice cutting into the audio rather clearly. He had an accent—American, if Mark had to guess—but it was tinged with something else. "Make sure to finish up quickly. The boss wants us back at headquarters ASAP."

The two guards responded in sync. "Yes, sir."

While they disappeared off the screen again, the leader remained, his attention glued to the device in his hand. He stood there for a few minutes, scrolling through pages and pages of content, seemingly reading something before he tucked the phone away and moved over to the sliding door. Mark didn't see how it happened, but the man did something and managed to have the door open in less than a few seconds, smoothly pulling it open and entering the house with no problem.

Mark's eyes flickered up to the very same sliding door, staring at it with a look akin to betrayal. "So you'll open for him but not for me?" He spoke to it, his tone miffed. "You've known me for longer, you traitorous little shit…"

He returned his attention back to the video where the two guards were now mowing the lawn and cutting the hedges, their faces completely stoic and unaffected, despite the depressing weather that surrounded them. _Well, that explains the garden_ , he thought, _but it doesn't explain why the man had to be inside or why they were even here in the first place._

Were Tia's parents involved with bad people? Were _they_ bad people? Mark found it hard to imagine. They were genuinely good people who cared about their daughter's well being way too much to put her in danger like that—and even his own whenever he found himself in a jam. If someone asked him how many times they offered him their spare bedroom, he wouldn't be able to give an exact number. They were naturally giving people, and it often surprised him. Of course, you could never truly know what happens behind closed doors, but that wouldn't stop him from trying.

He had to do this for them. For Tia.

He skimmed through the rest of the video, his unwavering eyes making sure to catch every single detail that he possibly could. Nothing out of the ordinary happened; just some more gardening and cleaning up of the greenery. He fast-forwarded through those parts and stopped when he saw the same dark figure exiting the house, his phone now being held to his ear as he chattered away to whoever was on the other end of the line. The two guards had finished up and were standing post by the door, only moving once the man gestured for them follow. Then, the video ended.

He sighed and checked the date and time at the top of the video. _25/07/2016. 3:13pm._ "That's less than twenty-four hours ago…" He noted, slipping his phone away to shield it from the rain that was beginning to fall in light droplets.

Curiosity took over and he slowly made his way to the sliding door. Thankfully, the curtains were open so he could peer into the majority of the main living room, the dining room and the kitchen. However, the dull weather shrouded the room in darkness, making it difficult for him to spy all the tinier details. From what he could see though, it mostly looked untouched, empty; like the Ramirez family had gone away on a holiday and wouldn't be back for a month or two. But that couldn't be it.

His dark brows furrowed in concentration, searching harder for anything that might stand out. Besides, this house was practically like a second home to him. He should know, at least roughly, when things were out of order. It was with that last thought that he spotted them—the red lights. Several tiny, little cameras—not unlike his own—were bugged around the house, and he was sure that if there was more light outside, he wouldn't have been able to spot it so easily. He spied a few of them hiding away in some particularly harder-to-find crevices; like the clock and the pot plant by the kitchen, or the glass cabinet below the TV.

He so badly wanted to get inside and look around, but the door remained locked and unyielding to his sad pick-locking attempts. He huffed and backed up to the fence, his eyes trained onto Tia's bedroom window on the second floor. Even from here he could see that the roller-shutters were locked up securely, and he cursed under his breath, an unsettling feeling scratching at the back of his mind.

 _What am I dealing with here?_

* * *

 _July 30th, 1752 | Davenport Homestead_

Tia focused on her breathing as she jogged at a brisk pace, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she watched the incoming dirt tracks ahead of her. She made the mistake of not watching where she was going the first time and so she took a good, hard trip over a lone rock jutting out of the tracks—something she clearly failed to spot in time. Now, a fresh round of scratches and bruises joined the older ones, no thanks to her embarrassing tumble, and it only added to her growing list of frustrations.

For the past week, she had done nothing but train and train and _train_. She understood that the assassins wanted to see her safe and to be able to defend herself if need be, but this was really too much. When she wasn't training with Liam—which was most of the time, since he seemed to be around more than the rest—she was being ordered to run laps around the manor. If it wasn't one of those two, she would be practicing rounds on the training dummies, the other assassins monitoring her every movement. She barely had time to sit down and relax anymore.

She tried not to read into it too much but it really felt as if they were training her to become one of them—and that is exactly what she _doesn't_ want.

Hope hasn't returned from New York and Chevalier was still off sailing somewhere, so she hasn't had the opportunity to train with either of them yet, nor Kesegowaase since he was too busy building up alliances with the tribes. As for Shay, she hasn't seen him since the night she snapped at him. When she asked of his whereabouts, Achilles had told her that he was off on some impromptu mission in the North somewhere and wouldn't be back for at least another week or so.

She hadn't bothered to practice her swimming either, mostly since she was too scared to do it on her own. Admittedly, she also wanted to be with Shay, and _only_ Shay, when she did it— _not that she would ever admit that out loud_ —and had outright refused Liam's offer to take over his lessons for the week. That definitely earned her an odd look from the man, but he didn't press for answers like she thought he would.

Now she was left feeling constantly tired, irritated and ready to argue with anyone about anything. Even Mark was copping it. After bidding her a happy birthday, she thought they would fall back into their new routine of going a few days without talking, but he'd been calling her nearly twice daily to "check up on her" and it was driving her up the wall. She almost had a heart attack the other night when he called her _just_ as she was on the brink of sleep, her eyes heavy and her head hazy as she fumbled around for the buzzing phone. He earned himself a couple of grumpy remarks from Tia and promised to message her from now on.

"That's enough!" She heard Liam call from the other side of the tracks where he'd been observing her progress throughout the day. He waved her over.

"Is it?" She mumbled to herself.

Slowing down to a walk, she reeled around and made her way over to him, sweat glistening down the exposed skin of her face and neck. She could really go for a frozen drink right now. Or an ice-cream. Either would do her just fine, honestly. Puffed out and hot from the exercise, she used her shirt sleeve to gingerly wipe away the sweat off her forehead. Liam quirked a brow at her.

"What?" She asked, mimicking the expression.

"How many laps do you think you've done?" He asked her, cutting straight to the chase.

"Um, I don't know…" She said as she continued to switch her centre of balance between both legs, trying to find the most comfortable standing position for her sore feet. "Three?" She guessed with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Try doubling that." He corrected, the corner of his lip curling up in a pleased manner. Her eyes widened in surprise. "You're improving quickly. Good job, Tia."

She couldn't hide the small grin that spread across her face. She somehow felt lighter after receiving praise from him, considering all he's done this week was criticize and push her to her limits. It was a nice change, but that wouldn't stop her from talking to Achilles about her concerns. She did _not_ want to be one of them. She had to make that clear and put her foot down. She was already getting enough withering looks from some of the lesser assassin recruits these days—no thanks to her new training schedule with their higher-ups.

She nodded. "Thank you."

"Go on, then." He urged, waving her away. It was almost as if he read her mind when he continued, "You've earned the rest of the day off."

She almost felt it necessary to remind him that it was only about ten in the morning, but she quickly stopped herself in fear that he would take back the reward. She offered him a smile and turned away, heading straight for Hope's house— _her house_ , she mentally corrected. It was as much her house as it was Hope's now, as stated several times by the young woman herself. She would need to get a towel and some food so she could relax down by the water for a while. It was like Liam said: she earned it.

* * *

 _August 6th, 1752_

It was late in the evening and Tia was finally getting around to making herself some _real_ dinner—a nice, warm pumpkin soup with some fresh, crusty bread that she got from the neighbours. As she stirred the contents in the pot, her tummy grumbled loudly in anticipation, eager for the first hot, _fresh_ meal it's had in weeks. She was practically salivating from the smell of it.

Lately, she hasn't been eating all that well and often found herself skipping meals because of her new time constraints. Even if she were to find herself with enough time, the last thing she wanted to do after a full day of training was to stand around and make dinner, so she often settled for a few pieces of fruit and bread, and then crash into bed without a lingering thought. It wasn't healthy for her and she knew she'd never hear the end of it if her parents were here.

Tia was lifting the spoon to her mouth to have a test taste when the front door abruptly opened and closed, surprising her and causing her to drop the utensil. It dropped to the floor with a loud clang, the orange soup splattering up the hem of her maroon dress and across the ground near her feet. Annoyed, she leaned down to pick it up and was ready to 'accidentally' flick some at the person's face when she realized it was Hope. The young woman walked straight over to the dining table and sat down, her lips set in a thin line as she crossed one leg over the other.

"Uh… hey?" Tia greeted, awkwardly using her spoon to wave at her.

Hope wasn't impressed, however, and continued to stare at her blankly. "What were you thinking?" She demanded, not wasting any time with small talk.

The teen sighed and moved to wash the spoon in a clean bowl of hot water. She already knew what this was about.

"I didn't mean for it to happen the way it did." She explained, still trying to decide on how she should respond. She didn't know what Hope was like when she was angry and she wasn't keen on finding out either.

"Oh?" Hope queried in a calm tone that clearly displayed her annoyance. _Careful._ "In what way did you _mean_ for it to happen then?"

"Look, I'm gonna be completely honest here," Tia began, going back to stirring the pot of soup around. "I wasn't _actively_ searching for answers that day. I just happened to stumble across an opportunity when I saw the Morrigan all empty and unguarded. It was scary finding out what you are—what _all_ of you are—and I wanted nothing to do with any of you. By the time I decided though, Shay and Liam were already onboard and I was trapped." She explained, reliving the incident in her head. "If it weren't for those two catching me when they did, I probably wouldn't even be here anymore..." She admitted.

It was quiet for a few moments as Hope tried to process what she was saying. She didn't even need to look at her to know that she was most likely frowning. The atmosphere in the room said enough.

"We would have told you in time, if you had only waited."

It was Tia's turn to frown and she turned her head slightly to give Hope a withering look. " _No_ , you wouldn't have. There was no trust at all from either side." She argued, serving the finished soup into a bowl. She offered some to Hope, but the woman rejected it with a shake of her head.

It was silent as she sat across from her, tearing her bread into small bite-sized pieces so she could dip it in the soup. She could feel the heat of Hope's unwavering gaze resting on her face and, though she was uncomfortable with being watched while she ate, she didn't say a word the entire time, fully intending to end the discussion there. It was done and in the past now.

She was halfway through her meal when she heard the woman in front of her release a strained sigh. She looked up from her bowl and was surprised to see a drained expression gracing Hope's normally controlled features, the knot between her brows prominent as she let herself slouch slightly in the chair. She looked worn.

Tia lowered her spoon before she could take another bite, a guilty feeling settling in. She knew she was partly to blame for this. "I'm sorry." She apologized quietly.

Hope's eyes drifted back up to hers. She shook her head, "It's alright. I can't say I didn't expect it at some point, what with the way you are."

"The way I am?"

"You're a curious girl." Hope elaborated simply.

She guessed she couldn't argue with that. It was true after all.

"Be more cautious in the future, would you?" Hope continued. "Had this been anybody else…" She trailed off, her point being made rather clear just through the look on her face.

"I know."

"We worry about you more than you think, Tia."

She bit her lip then, lowering her eyes to gaze at the dark surface of the table. She wanted so badly to just brush away that kind of comment, like it didn't affect her in the slightest, but how could she do that when it was coming from Hope of all people? She wasn't one to just engage in meaningful conversations like this, especially if she were the one to initiate it. It must have really bothered her.

Tia dipped her head and focused on eating again. Over the span of half a year, it was hard to deny that she's grown to care about them, and vice versa—though, she had to question the sincerity of a certain few.

She briefly wondered what Chevalier would have done if he was here during all the commotion. Would he have gotten angry at her? Reprimanded her for such childish actions? She hasn't seen him since he departed on another voyage a few months back and they barely knew each other back then. It was hard to imagine him being _nice_ about it though. She barely had the time to dwell on the thought of catching up with Ian and Matt some time when Hope coughed to clear her throat, distracting her.

"Well, uh, the air is clear is now, so you don't have to worry anymore. Besides, I've already sorted things out with Achilles." Tia mentioned, cussing when she accidentally dropped her bread in the soup.

Hope raised her brows. "Really?"

"Yup. You, Shay, Liam and Chevalier will be taking turns in teaching me how to _defend_ myself."

"Ah," Hope acknowledged with a sudden glint in her eyes. She straightened in her chair and leaned her forearms on the table, her hands clasped together. "And when was this decided?"

Tia wasn't sure if she should be alarmed by her sudden enthusiasm and eyed her with caution. "Like two weeks ago..."

"Are you busy tomorrow?"

"I'm not sure. I'll have to check with Liam."

Hope smiled, though there was something about the way she did it that made Tia shift in her seat. "Don't worry about him. _I'll_ be teaching you tomorrow."

* * *

A puffed breath escaped Tia's mouth as she struggled to keep up with Hope, who was leading them towards the training grounds at a faster pace than necessary. She had no idea what all the rushing around was for, but it seemed like she had no room to complain after the episode last night. Besides, they had a whole day ahead of them.

It was already rather warm outside despite it being so early in the morning, so Tia opted against wearing anything but a plain white shirt and some pants that were carefully tucked into her boots. She had no idea how Hope, or even some of the other assassins, were waltzing around in their full uniforms. How were they not drenched in their own sweat? Of course, it wasn't anything like the heat of an _Australian_ summer, but after experiencing snow for the first time in her life, her body had decided it didn't like the heat anymore.

"Alright, what I have planned for you today will be a little different." Hope began, slowing her pace to match with Tia. "I'll be focusing on two aspects of your training: hand-to-hand combat and sword fighting. Once I assess your skill level in both, we'll have a go at mixing them together."

"What? Why?" Tia asked disbelievingly. "I've never even _held_ a sword before, and yet here you are—" she flailed her hands around in front of her, "—wanting me to _multitask_ or some shit?"

Hope didn't scold her for the vulgar language—in fact, she found that _everyone_ was letting her off for it lately—and regarded her with a firm nod that told her she wasn't getting out of this. The teen bit the inside of her cheek, her confidence wavering. Not to say that she _had_ much confidence about this in the beginning, but it helped to pretend every once in awhile.

Once they reached the training grounds, she was surprised to find it unusually empty. Normally, there'd be at least two or three assassins hanging around for practice. There was not a soul in sight, however, and Tia couldn't stop herself from scanning the surrounding brush for any signs of yellow or purple. _Maybe they're working on stealth today?_

Her attention shifted back towards Hope as she continued onwards, heading in the direction of the manor's stables. "Wait here while I get our equipment," she told her. "You can warm yourself up in the meantime."

"Okay," Tia said, pushing herself right into a stretching routine. If she was going to suffer for the rest of the day, she might as well get the easiest part over and done with without the unnecessary fuss. There would be plenty to complain about later on, she was sure of it.

She watched as Hope disappeared further up the hill in long strides, her purple dress swaying with each step. The morning had been a rather strange one, with Hope practically dragging her out of bed to get her ready for today's activities. She even cooked them both breakfast, which is something she's never done before. Tia had sat at the table observing her with an odd look as she moved about in the kitchen like a woman possessed. It was so… weird.

"Hard at work, I see. I must say, I'm impressed."

The musical lilt in that voice made Tia pause mid-stretch. _Oh, fuck._

"When did you get back?" She asked him, her voice sounding significantly calmer than the thoughts currently tumbling around in her head. She completely forgot that he was coming back this week.

"Just now, actually." Shay answered, offering her a lopsided grin—not that she saw it. He assumed a lazy stance, inclining his head towards her. "I'm supposed to report back to the mentor before I do anything else, but I don't see the harm in a quick chat with a pretty young lady."

One would think she'd be used to his countless flirtations by now, but that was not the case at all as her face threatened to heat up from the harmless compliment. "Wow, how lucky of me." She joked, her voice sounding a tad nervous.

She hoped he wouldn't stick around for too long. He only served as a distraction and she didn't need that when she handled a sword for the first time. She could already feel her heart rate picking up slightly just from the sound of his voice—and she hasn't even seen his face yet!

He roamed around in front of her, much to her chagrin, and she abruptly reached down to touch her toes, using it as an excuse to avoid any sort of eye contact with him. He didn't seem to notice though.

"Training with Liam again?" He asked after a moment, his voice curious.

"No, Hope's my teacher for the day."

"Ah, 's that so?" He released a breathy chuckle, sounding almost amused by the idea. "Careful with her. She gets cranky if you don't listen and do exactly what she says."

"You're talking from experience, aren't you?"

"Aye."

Tia struggled to hold her position as she laughed. She could easily picture Shay's expression right now; completely brazen-faced and unashamed about his confession as his lips curled up into that charming smirk he does whenever he knows he's being cheeky.

 _God, I haven't crushed this hard since—_

"You're not stuck, are you?" He asked, suddenly appearing in her peripheral vision. The outline of his shadow was now partially cast across her body, shielding her from the sun's rays.

Tia blinked. "Huh?"

"I asked if you were stuck..." He reiterated, sounding puzzled. He was probably wondering why she hasn't come up yet.

"Oh no, I'm fine! I can do this for ages." And she could too, if she wanted to. Like right now, for example. _Hope, where are you?_

"But doesn't it hurt? Doing that for so long, I mean?"

"Nope, it doesn't hurt at all! I'm pretty flexible, so..." She trailed off awkwardly.

It didn't take a genius to know how quickly this conversation could turn from something innocent into something far less appropriate. That, or her mind was being particularly perverted today. Either way, she didn't want this to become more awkward than it has to be—not when she's already being so weird in the first place.

"I wonder if I can do it like that…" Shay said, moving to stand beside her.

She side-eyed his heavy-looking boots from her position, almost willing them to take control of his feet so they would make him walk in the other direction and away from her, when his top half suddenly appeared in her line of sight.

Tia furrowed her brows, watching as the tips of his fingers brushed against the leather of his boots. _Is he actually…?_

"There. Easy." He grunted, turning his head slightly to try and look at her. There was no hiding the friendly challenge in his tone.

Tia scoffed. "Oh, really now?"

" _Really._ "

"Then can you," Tia reached down even further and placed her palms flat against the grass, "—do this?"

"I…" He fell silent as he tried to assess her from his spot, no doubt having an internal debate with himself about whether or not his body was capable of such a stretch.

She was genuinely surprised when his palms came to rest against the floor like her own. She glanced at his knees. His legs were held straight too. "Huh."

He held himself there for about five seconds before straightening up again with a groan. "Got anything that's a bit more of a challenge?"

Tia rolled her eyes at the cockiness in his voice. Slowly, yet smoothly, she lowered herself down into a centre splits. Her inner thighs felt a little tight from the action since she failed to warm up properly before attempting the move, but it didn't hurt like she thought it might. After all, it's been awhile since she's done this.

She gazed up at him, her brow raised in question and her arms crossed, daring him to give it a shot.

His eyes widened and he chuckled shortly after, "Alright, alright! You win. No way am I attemptin' a move like that."

She laughed and stood up, dusting her pants free of loose grass. "Damn straight."

Their amusement hung in the air as they finally managed to get a good look at each other. Nothing had changed, of course, but it didn't stop Tia from taking in all of his features like it was the first time. Those dark eyes of his; the shaggy, yet somehow neat mop of hair atop his head and even that moustache she still felt so conflicted about. She spotted a few red marks on his face and eyed them with curiosity. What happened? Did he get them from his mission?

She didn't miss the way his eyes began to wander her face, no doubt scrutinizing her own appearance in turn, and she quickly jumped to make more conversation. The first thing that came to mind was something that's been bothering her all week.

"Hey, uh..." She fiddled with her shirt, paying special attention to a small rip that had began to form. "Sorry about the whole snapping at you thing from before. I don't know what came over me."

The remnants of a smile lingered on his face as he replied, "I should be the one making apologies here, lass. I knew you had a busy day and that you were exhausted, and yet I chose to stay."

Is that what he thought? Well, he wasn't _wrong_ exactly, but he certainly wasn't seeing it the way Tia was. She snapped at him because he got too close, right up in her personal space with his hands around her arm like it was nothing. It was overwhelming for her tired mind to have him _right_ next to her like that. She'd felt as if he was breathing down her neck!

"I mean, sure, but you only came over to ask me about those dancing lessons, didn't you?" She didn't forget.

"Aye," he confirmed with a nod. "It's fine, though. We can do it some other time, whatever suits you."

"Wait, what?" She made a face at that. "You're busier than I am most of the time."

He chuckled, "While that may ring true, I'd still be willing to make some time for you."

A shy smile formed on her face and she glanced away for a brief second, spotting Hope by chance, walking down the hill with what she gathered to be their equipment for the day. She could already see the set of swords glinting in the sunlight, so she took a step back—wow, she didn't realize how close they were—and began to stretch again. She didn't want Hope scolding her so early in the morning.

It was hard not to notice the way Shay's attitude shifted to a more mischievous one once Hope joined them, and he immediately began to bait her. "Your student's getting started without you, Hope. I'm surprised."

Said woman wasn't fazed in the slightest by the comment and it was obvious she was used to dealing with his shenanigans as she moved about to the training dummies, dumping their equipment there. "We're using our time wisely by having her ready herself as I set everything up."

He gestured to the sky that was still brightening it's way into full daylight. "You have all day, don't you?"

"Yes, Shay, if she were anything like yourself, she _would_ need all day." Hope quipped in return, her lips curling upwards in a small smile despite the biting tone in her statement. "Now, do get a move on. Achilles is waiting for you."

He took the order in stride and turned to leave, but not before shooting Tia one last look. "Aye, madam. Perhaps I'll come back later."

Tia winced. _Jesus, please don't..._

"Only if you intend to train as well. I won't have you standing around doing nothing." Hope said, waving him away.

 _Hope, no!_

"I guess I could join you two for the rest of the day." Shay agreed, before adding, "I'll even help Tia with different techniques."

"Oh, for fucksake..."

Both assassins were looking at her now, evidently shocked by her sudden display of profanity—though one of them appeared to be more amused if anything. It took Tia a second to realize she'd actually blurted that out loud and she slapped a hand over her mouth. So much for being let off lately, Hope _did not_ look happy. _Oops._

"I suggest cleaning your mouth out with soap lest you want to start receiving chores as punishment from now on." Hope remarked sternly.

"Noted!" She squeaked, utterly embarrassed. Was it getting hotter out here or was it just her?

After they were finally rid of the distraction that was Shay, Hope was more than happy to commence with her lesson. She began by going over the basics of sword fighting; running Tia through the different types of swords, what they were best used for and the dangers of using one. The teen was a little thrown off by the surprisingly gentle approach of instructions, especially after what Shay had said earlier. She was fully expecting the woman to be more… _tough_ about it.

After having Liam as a teacher, she wasn't quite sure what to expect anymore. His lessons were clear cut, firm and to the point, and he was never afraid to get rough with her in their sparring sessions, even throwing her to the floor on multiple occasions. It was painful and she hated it, but she had to admit that it did help her learn. Now she knew what to do to in order to prevent the attack—or lessen it's effectiveness, at least.

Once Hope was satisfied with Tia's new knowledge, she went ahead and grabbed one of the swords, giving it a few test swings before holding it out in front of her. It was probably one of the more basic weapons around here, but to Tia, it looked like the most intimidating thing on the planet. She backed up a step.

"We won't be using the real thing today," Hope started and a loud sigh of relief was heard coming from Tia, "—but I want you to hold it and get a feel for it."

"Okay…" Tia uttered, gingerly reaching out to take it. Surprised by the weight, she grabbed at the hilt with her other hand. "It's heavier than it looks!"

Hope smiled, "This one is a broadsword. It may seem heavy to a beginner such as yourself, but it's different for an experienced swordsman. It's not the type we'll be using for practice, but I thought it could provide you with some valuable insight."

"Yeah," Tia replied, lifting it up more in order to get a closer look. "Is this the kind you guys normally use around here?"

"Each person has different preferences on what they'd like to use during combat, but I generally lean towards using a cutlass since I find it easier to maneuver in comparison to a heavier sword such as this one." She answered, moving back to the pile of things she brought down earlier.

" _Yeah_ , I can understand why." Tia nodded, switching the weight of the sword between her hands. "Then what'll we be practicing with?"

The second those words left her mouth, Hope whirled around with two wooden training swords. They looked considerably smaller than the broadsword and, upon closer inspection, they'd definitely seen their fair share of practicing; various dents, marks and scratches littered across what would be considered the blade.

They swapped the broadsword with the training one and Tia relaxed slightly, feeling a little more comfortable with a weapon that's more her size. However, her anxiousness stayed very much the same. It was _still_ a dangerous weapon and these lessons of hers were only in preparation for the real thing. She just hoped their lessons wouldn't be overly demanding once they did reach that point. If it were up to Tia, she wouldn't be doing this at all and, instead, would be perfectly happy relying on stealth and evasion in the case of any future conflicts—but she knew the assassins wouldn't accept that.

"Since you had little to no knowledge of swordsmanship prior to this lesson, we'll skip the assessment and move straight into basic defense." Hope distanced herself in order to give them some practice room and assumed a fighting stance, her training sword pointed outwards. "Now, hold your sword in front of you like so."

Tia copied the stance easily enough, but her eyes continued to zip back and forth with uncertainty. "Am I doing this right?"

"Not bad." Hope observed, approaching her to make a few tweaks. She gently nudged the teen's foot with her own, "Stand with your legs further apart and bend your knees a little. It'll give you more stability and make it harder for the opponent to knock you off your feet."

They continued perfecting her stance for a few minutes before they finally got around to the actual act of defense in combat. Regardless of the new training sword and easy instructions, Tia still had difficulty keeping the correct hold and repeatedly found herself blocking Hope's oncoming hits at an awkward angle.

"You're being too careful," Hope said, momentarily withdrawing her sword. "You need to relax."

Tia scoffed in disbelief, still maintaining her fighting stance in case Hope decided to try the method of surprise. "What do you mean I'm ' _being too careful_ '? You're literally coming at me with a sword!"

"Yes, but you're too stiff and you'll risk further injury to yourself if you don't _relax._ "

She groaned and made a mental note to avoid as many of these lessons as possible. She'd fake being sick if she had to, just like she does for sports class. _Yes_ , she was one of those kids.

Another hour went past and Tia was finally starting to get the hang of it. No longer was she overly stiff and alert, but she could also return a few hits as well. It wasn't part of the plan nor were they executed all that well, but Hope seemed pleased that she was trying and so they moved onto hand-to-hand combat, leaving their swords off to the side.

"You've been training with Liam, correct?" Hope asked as they prepared themselves for a quick spar.

"Yup. He hasn't been all that gentle either." Tia remarked with a slight wince as she rolled up her sleeves. She could still feel the pain lingering from the last time Liam slammed her back onto the hard ground. _That hurt._

"Ah, he only wants what's best for you." Hope clarified, waiting with her hands resting on her hips. "As do I."

"Giving me future back problems is what's best for me now?"

The sarcasm wasn't lost on Hope and she managed a slightly sardonic smile in response. "No, keeping your life is what's best for you."

Tia's face scrunched up as she finally turned to face her, finally ready to spar. "You can be pretty creepy sometimes, you know that?"

"I was unaware," Hope returned, and Tia couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not. "Ready?"

A single nod from the teen and suddenly Hope was moving forward with a quick jab aimed for the junction between her neck and shoulder. Moving back out of surprise more than actual dodging, she only just managed to avoid the hit before another one was being sent her way. A closed fist connected with her side and she huffed a breath of air to lessen the impact.

 _Bloody hell!_ Tia thought, dodging another swing of Hope's fist. _Liam wasn't lying when he said she was fast!_

Said woman was reeling away to circle her when an opportunity presented itself. Taking a quick step forward, Tia feinted a punch at Hope's midsection, hoping the woman would fall for the move and leave an opening to attack. What she wasn't expecting was for her to grab her hand and yank her forward, sending her scrambling to keep her balance. Now situated behind her, she spun around and delivered a firm kick to the back of her dress, unintentionally striking her backside. Her shoe connected with a loud thump and Hope stumbled forward.

"Oh shit, sorry!"

A hearty laugh off to the side broke the two of them out of their short-lived fight, both sets of eyes glaring at the culprit. Surely enough, leaning on the fence surrounding the training area was Shay, his face pleasantly amused by the show occurring right in front of him. In his hands was a shiny red apple, half eaten.

"What's so funny?" Tia called out to him, annoyed.

"Your fighting style, lass." He replied in between chuckles. "Reminds me of myself back when I was a young lad. Used to resort to that tactic a lot in disagreements."

She made a face. Was that supposed to be a good thing?

"Of course," he continued, his eyes darkening with an emotion Tia couldn't decipher. "Hope would never let me get away with what you did there."

Said woman's expression remained impassive as they made eye contact, neither assassins willing to back down. Tia glanced between them, suddenly feeling like she was butting in on something she shouldn't be. Maybe now would be a good time to go on break; she was hungry after all.

"Um, so... I'm just gonna go ahead and leave now. _Yeah._ " Tia muttered, awkwardly strolling away.

She heard Hope call out to her, "Half an hour, Tia!"

She could work with that. It would be just enough time for her to head down to the river and relax while she ate her salad sandwich she'd prepared at home. Anything to forget about whatever just happened here. By the time she sat down and ate her lunch, she'd already thought it over twenty odd times despite wanting to leave the subject alone. She just couldn't get it out of her head—the way Shay looked at Hope, the way his voice deepened slightly when he spoke, the way they just… _stared_ at each other afterwards.

She knew what that meant. There was _something_ going on between them; she'd suspected it right from the start when she saw them both together in the distance when she'd first arrived at the homestead. But then she remembered Hope saying she didn't have anyone special in her life and that it wasn't her priority right now, and that only served to baffle her even further. Was Hope lying to her? Were they dating in secret? What reason would they have to hide it if that were the case?

Not only that, but Shay certainly didn't _act_ taken; like he had a girlfriend to come home to—hell, he flirts with her all the time! And yet she still couldn't understand: _why?_ If she were Hope— _if she really is his girlfriend_ —then she certainly wouldn't want him going around flirting with other girls like it was nothing. That's just insulting.

She slipped the last piece of her sandwich into her mouth and proceeded to dust herself free of the crumbs. Right now, the last thing she wanted to do was head back to the training grounds and see the two of them _interacting_ again, but she had no choice. Unfortunately, Hope was her teacher _and_ her housemate, so if she wanted to live to see next week, she had to go. So, giving herself a pep talk in the meantime, she tied her long hair back into a ponytail to keep it out of her face and went back to the training grounds.

Upon her return, she spotted the two of them chatting near one of the training dummies. A wide smile was stretched across the young Irishman's face and even Hope was smiling a little, a feat that was difficult to achieve unless she was mocking you in some sort of way. But this smile didn't look mocking at all. She looked happy—

 _Like she's enjoying their alone time together…_ Tia sighed, feeling a little dejected. She'd gotten her hopes up for nothing. Not that she had much to get her hopes up for in the beginning, but it still hurt to have it in your face like that.

She stopped in her tracks. They looked rather preoccupied with each other and they still haven't seen her yet. Perhaps she could just turn around and leave while she had the chance; she could just head down to the river again and plug in her headphones, listen to music, _drown out her thoughts_. The thought was tempting— _so_ _awfully tempting_ —but, yet again, the idea of Hope being pissy with her later was even less so, and so she resumed with her walk, her mood dropping descending very quickly.

Hope noticed her first and gestured for her to come over. "Come on, Tia. Let's get back into it."

Complying with her wishes, she approached the two of them, her arms folded loosely. "What are we doing then?" She asked, her attention on Hope. She didn't mean to sound snappy, but judging from the looks she received from the both of them, she definitely didn't sound _nice_.

She discreetly glanced towards Shay. He looked concerned. She looked off to the side at some bushes. _Ugh, why does he have to be here for this?_

"Well, considering how we were so rudely interrupted before," she shot a pointed look at Shay, "—I say we should try some more hand-to-hand."

"Okay."

"We'll begin over here then, shall we?" Hope suggested, walking over to the small clearing of grass where she'd previously trained with Liam. Her back was already hurting again just thinking about it.

"Right." She replied, following her from a distance and settling across from her.

Shay quietly followed behind the two of them, the sound of his boots crunching along the grass doing nothing but irritating her all the more. Just as Hope was about to commence round two, he spoke up. "Perhaps I should give it a go this time!"

They both glared at him again, obviously for different reasons this time. _He wants to what now?_

Hope scoffed. "I've yet to evaluate her skills properly and now you want to have a go? After interrupting us the first time?"

"Yes?" He confirmed, making it sound more like a question.

"And why should I let you do that?" Hope challenged. "I do believe _I_ am her teacher for the day."

"Well, of course, but you would be able to evaluate her skills more effectively from observation, don't you agree?"

She didn't look like she agreed in the slightest, but he moved in and gestured politely for her to step back and away from the imaginary fighting ring. Tia watched completely dumbfounded as Hope nodded and moved away to give them some space. She was supposed to fight Shay now?

He looked at her and gave her what she thinks was supposed to be a comforting smile. "I'll go easy on ya, Tia."

Completely annoyed, she just rolled her eyes and readied herself for the oncoming embarrassment. She had no idea how well he fought, but she guessed it was about time she find out. Suddenly, the memory of his wet shirt sticking to his _clearly_ well-muscled body as they swam about in the river came to mind and she hurriedly fought to throw the mental images away, heat flooding to her cheeks.

Hope gave them the okay and they began to circle each other. Shay was poised and ready as he watched her move, and somehow she just knew that he was calculating her every step, her every weakness right off the bat. He'd be able to win so easily if he would just—

"Do it already!" She demanded.

"Do what?" He asked, clearly not understanding why she was being so impatient. "I'm waiting for you."

With that, she bolted forward with a hard swing of her leg. As expected, he was quick to react and dodged with a side step that put him beside her. He didn't retaliate with a hit of his own however and instead just waited for her to come at him again, his arms in front and ready to block his upper half if the need came.

Clenching her fists, she did just that and aimed directly for his chest. Easily catching her fist in his own, he twisted arm behind her back and forced her to stand still. Now _this_ she hadn't learned to get out of. Liam had wanted to teach her how to escape a grab in a whole separate part of her training since it was apparently so extensive, but here she was with absolutely no knowledge on what to do.

She wriggled around in Shay's hold but to no avail, he held her there firmly. _Thanks, Liam._

"Do you give up?" She heard him ask; his deep, accented voice right next to her ear. His hold loosened slightly, obviously prepared to let her go.

An involuntary shiver ran up her spine. Giving her arms a hard tug, she managed to free herself from his grip and spun around. Trying to think quickly before he could act, she swung another kick at him, aiming a little higher this time. She managed to clip him on the shoulder, surprising both him and herself, and he let out a grunt as he doubled back.

He seemed to get over the pain quickly though and moved forward, his eyes more wary and his body tense. _That snapped some of the friendly out of him_ , she thought, eyeing him with caution. There was no chance she'd be getting another hit like that in.

Hope's face was concentrated as she glanced at her for a brief second, unsure of what to do next. He was fully alert now and would be prepared for anything she threw at him. She had a stupid idea but maybe if she could knock him off of his feet, she could restrain him somehow and call it a lesson over? However, her chances of successfully overpowering him before he got an idea of what she was up to were practically slim to none.

Oh well. At this point, there was nothing else she could do to outsmart him and he clearly wasn't going to initiate the first move. She may as well jump right into the fray.

With that in mind, she ran at him again and tackled him straight on. It took all of her strength to knock him over, but she managed to push him down onto the ground and was halfway onto straddling him when he used her momentum to his advantage and rolled them over, pinning her underneath his body instead. In the blink of an eye, her wrists were being held tightly above her head and his legs were pinning her lower half to the ground.

Tia was locked in place and unable to move as she looked up at him with big, slightly fearful eyes. Her breaths came out quick and uneven despite her trying her best to quieten them down. Shay, however, was faring far better, his breathing pattern only slightly escalated as he kept her in place. He looked shocked though. He obviously hadn't expected that tackle from her, just like he didn't expect that hit to his shoulder, and was simply gazing down at her now, an unreadable expression on his features.

The two of them didn't break their eye contact until Hope finally commented, breaking the spell. "Hm. You did rather well, Tia."

"Uh…" Tia swallowed, still dazed from the fight and because Shay was still on top of her.

Finally, he moved off of her and offered her a helping hand to assist her from the floor. Accepting his assistance, she slipped her hand into his larger one and allowed him to pull her up. Hope watched with a raised brow as the two of them looked at anything but each other, dusting themselves free of the grass and dirt.

"Aye," Shay finally agreed. "You did well."

Tia hid her discomfort by turning around. "I need a drink."

* * *

 **A/N: Guys, it's officially been 1 year since I first posted this story! #HappyBirthdayOTWT :')**

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It's officially my longest one yet and I'm not sure if I'll do another one like this, but it was fun to write! I understand that it may seem a little messy with Tia's emotions all over the place, but I honestly think she needs a bit of that. I mean, she** _ **is**_ **a teenager—and besides, gotta build up that tension, ay. ;)**

 _ **Just a reminder that I have a poll for this story up on my profile, located at the very top!** _**It's giving you choices of what you would like to see in future chapters (or basically what you'd prefer to see sooner), so go ahead and vote if you'd like! :)**

 **Thank you to the new messages, reviews, faves & follows! I see them all and it honestly makes my day. I'll try and give you guys better updates! :D **

**Until next time guys, imakemyownblog out x**


	21. Chapter 21

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter Twenty One**

November 18th, 1752

She was in New York again. Even after her discussion with Achilles about finding a different job—something _within_ the homestead grounds where it would be difficult for their enemies to touch her—she was here, once again, pulling out a carefully wrapped package and letter.

It was her own choice, by all means. Nobody agreed with it at first, insisting that she sit down and think over her decision before proceeding, and she did. She humoured them by literally sitting down on the grass outside and having a long "think", much to the dismay of Hope, whose sword lesson was considerably shortened because of it. Tia had to admit, she purposely sat there for longer than she first intended, just to see how long she could go before Hope got pissed with her. Unsurprisingly, it didn't take her that long.

It was her third week back in the city, and it was as lively as ever; filled with the sounds of people, horses and various other activities that she had yet to really pay attention to. She was just glad to finally catch a break from all those repetitive lessons she had to suffer through with the assassins. She travelled here alone—again, much to the dismay of Hope, who nearly sassed Achilles ears off for even considering it—but it was fun. It was a change, and one of her own volition at that!

She normally hated being on her own, especially when it was so far away from everything she knew—but this? This was nice. She'd yet to come across any trouble. Well, she could've sworn she saw a few people watching her, but that might be thanks to her paranoia more so than actually being in any danger. Or maybe not. Either way, none of them had dared to approach her, and so she quickly moved on.

After handing off her last delivery for the day, she made her way back to the inn at a leisurely pace, enjoying the afternoon sun as it warmed her body. The weather had been rather chilly lately since the cold season was fast approaching, and so she took every opportunity to bask in the warmth of the sun before it disappeared each night.

A familiar pattern of vibrations coming from her dress pocket snapped her out of her reverie, and she immediately thought to hurry up, already knowing it was that time of the week where she would hang out with Mark on video chat. She fought back a grin as a second round of vibrations came from her pocket. Someone was impatient today. Walking through the door, she greeted the friendly old lady that ran the place with her husband and made her way upstairs to the room she'd rented out for the month.

This inn was a different place from the one she stayed in with Hope and, when she'd arrived, the owners were plenty nice enough to offer her one of the more "well-kept" rooms that they usually kept separate for special guests. She had to wonder if it was because they felt sorry for her in some way. After all, it was absolutely unthinkable that an unmarried, young lady such as herself was travelling alone in these times - she just _had_ to have her own room. Tia sighed and let them think what they want, so long as she got what she came here for with no further harassment.

"Hey, hey, whaddup, my girl?" Mark's smiling face was the first thing that greeted her on the screen and she beamed at the sight of her best friend.

"Nothing much. I just got back from work," she said, plopping down onto the bed and removing her shoes. "Speaking of which, I had the weirdest tasting chocolate today. You know me, I _love_ chocolate! But I'm not sure if I want anymore from here..."

"I don't blame you," Mark laughed. "Didn't the chocolate used to be hell chunky back then?"

She shrugged. "The one I had today wasn't that bad. It just tasted weird, that's all."

"Probably because there's no shit in there… or maybe there is."

"Ew, Mark, that's gross."

She went on to ask how he was going and what his family was up to, and he spoke eagerly, as if she was really there with him. She could already imagine him throwing his arm around her shoulders to pull her in close and chatter about anything. Turns out his parents thought she was on some super long historical study trip, so it was easy enough to play by what she was wearing. His little sister, however, was convinced she was a secret princess of some kind in search of her beloved prince.

 _"Isn't the prince supposed to find you, Tia?"_ She had asked one day.

To that, Tia replied in a joking fashion. _"Heck no, he's taking way too long for that."_

"She's become just like you, Tia, no joke." Mark rambled, sprawling himself out over the couch with his phone hovering above him. "She tries to wear the same clothes, she wants to do dancing—hell, I even heard her telling mum and dad she wanted to become a vegetarian the other day!"

"Oh, darn. How dare I influence your sister!" Tia chuckled, rolling her eyes at his exaggerated noises of frustration.

Mark zoomed the camera in so only his squinted, blue eyes could be seen. He shook his phone slightly. "What did you do to her, huh? What are you hiding from me?"

"Alright, you got me. I brainwashed Skylar into becoming my little doppelgänger."

"I knew it! Next thing you know, she's gonna want platinum hair—"

"It's not even platinum."

The door to her room suddenly opened and she very nearly had a heart attack as she rushed to hide her phone under her pillow. It wasn't until she saw a familiar smirk that she sighed in relief, trying to calm her racing heart. She thought it was the owner coming to check on her again. "You ever heard of knocking before entering, Shay?"

He walked into the room with a nod, his friend and first mate following behind not long after. "It does sound familiar, aye."

"Then freakin' do it, would you?" She insisted, shooting him a glare. She then offered a smile to his companion. "Hey, Liam."

"Tia. Thought we'd come check on you since we were in the area. Oh, and," he dropped a small pouch into her lap. "A gift from the mentor."

She eagerly snatched it up and peeked inside. Her money for the next month sat there, glinting beautifully as the light hit it from outside. Boy, did she love advance payments. It was about time she bought a new jacket and gloves for the cold weather. She had no idea how she'd lasted so long without one, but if she was going to get some, she wanted them to be of good quality. Maybe she could begin her search tomorrow. She tucked the money away into her dress as the two visitors made themselves comfortable on the guest chairs.

"How did you guys know where I am?" She asked, tucking the money away for later as the two visitors made themselves comfortable on the guest chairs.

"It's not that difficult to track you down with hair like that," Shay stated simply, pulling an apple out of his jacket. "Easiest person to track in all of the colonies, I reckon."

Tia was about to say something in return when muffled rap music began to play, interrupting her before she could even start. Liam raised a brow at the colourful choice of words while Shay only listened on with mild interest. Neither of them were a fan, it seemed.

She closed her eyes and sighed, before pulling the phone out from under the pillow. "Mark, seriously. I'm trying to talk here."

Her best friend was in the exact same position as before, this time with a hand tucked under his head as he gazed into the camera. "You were talking to me first— _thanks, Shay_ —and now it's a problem because I'm listening to music while I wait?"

"Did he just talk to me?" Shay asked mid-chew. He sat forward with peaked interest, no doubt waiting for Mark's voice to speak out again.

"Yeah, I'm talkin' to you, buddy. Who else?"

"It's not just Shay. Liam's here, too." Tia informed him, switching to the rear camera so he could see them. "See?"

"Which one's which?"

Oh. She forgot he hadn't actually seen their faces before. "Take a wild guess," she prompted, crossing one leg over the other.

"Dude with the apple is Shay, and… I don't know about you, but the other guy looks like he could be a Kent."

Tia stared at Liam with furrowed brows, trying to picture him with the name. She blinked. "Bro, I think you need to get your eyes checked."

"What, he looks like a Kent!"

"He really doesn't."

"Whatever," Mark said, waving his hand. "Just give 'em the phone. I wanna get a better look at these two."

Tia wordlessly handed the device over to Liam since he was the closest one to her, and he took it with caution, eyeing the young man on the screen. They were both sizing each other up, no doubt. Although, she imagined it would be more unusual from Liam's point of view.

"That is the most unflattering angle, Kent. Change it."

Tia couldn't stop herself from laughing this time and she scolded Mark in between giggles. "Here, hold it in front of you like this." She told Liam, demonstrating the position herself as she bit her lip, trying her hardest not to laugh again.

Once the angle was satisfactory, Mark hummed, taking in the appearance of the bulky looking assassin. "Oh, you're right, he doesn't look like a Kent at all."

"Told ya."

"I blame your camera quality."

Tia shrugged. "I blame Apple." She shook her head when Shay held out his half-eaten fruit in confusion. "Not that apple."

"Isn't your phone a Galaxy?" Mark asked with a quirk of the brow.

"Yeah, but I still blame it on Apple."

"Actually, yeah, I gotta agree with you on that one. Anyways, Liam, hand the phone to your friend, would ya?" Liam did so with the same amount of caution as before, still a bit baffled by the whole concept of talking to people who weren't really there.

Meanwhile, Shay took the phone in stride and made sure to hold it at the right angle. Though, he seemed more interested in the device's other capabilities rather than her best friend. Still, he maintained eye contact with the younger man as he continued chewing away, almost boredly, not intimidated by him in the slightest.

 _Men…_

"So, are you a pirate captain?"

"I already _told_ you he wasn't," Tia huffed.

"I'm just checking! You know your dad would want me to." Mark pointed out.

Tia's face fell instantly at the mention of family. Mark was right. Her dad was awfully protective of her, _especially_ when it came to boys. Even Mark had to face the little "tests" her dad would throw his way, but he passed them with flying colours and now he was considered a plus one in the family. "I guess so…" She muttered, rubbing at her arm.

"Aye. I'm a captain, but not a pirate captain." Shay corrected, glancing over to Tia, who was now busying herself with tidying the bed. More like repeatedly fluffing the same pillow.

"He even says 'aye'! How the hell am I supposed to believe him now?"

Tia stood up, approaching Shay with her hand outstretched for her phone. "Believe it or not, Mark, the word isn't limited to just pirates." She stated matter-of-factly, a hand on her hips. "Anyways, I better go now. I'm getting hungry."

Mark seemed to sense her sore mood, even through the phone. "Alright, then. You get a good sleep tonight, yeah?"

"Yeah, you too…"

After hanging up, she shoved the phone back under the pillow and sighed, running a hand through her hair. That was not how she expected that to go.

"You alright, lass?" Shay asked, observing her carefully from where he sat. What was left of his apple was merely the core now, and he held onto it via the tiny stalk at the top, twisting it every now and then.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied, straightening herself out. She conjured up a tiny smile. "So, what are you guys doing for dinner?"

* * *

A light meal and a couple of hours later, Liam and Shay had finally called it a night. They paid for her meal and gave her the location of where the Morrigan sat docked for the rest of the week, should she be wanting a ride back to the homestead when she was done here. Grateful, she thanked them and headed upstairs to prepare for bed.

Not even bothering to change into something more comfortable, she collapsed into bed and pulled the covers all the way up to her neck. She was still a bit sensitive from what Mark had said earlier, and it left her in a grumpy mood right before she needed to sleep. Great. It had to be around midnight before she was finally welcomed into the arms of a deep slumber.

* * *

 _A young Tia obediently followed along after her mother and father as they walked around the busy afternoon markets, browsing the freshly baked goods with interest, but neither considering to actually buy anything. The reason being that they had just under an hour left before they were required to board the Esperanza - the ship that would sail them back home._

 _Tia resisted the urge to whine and complain as her stomach twisted and turned with nerves. She hated the ocean, much less being stuck in the middle of one on a floating piece of wood for several weeks. As much as she liked visiting the different cities and towns, she would readily give that up in a heartbeat if it meant keeping herself away from the overly large bodies of salt water._

 _"Mamá, Papá, can we please just go? I don't like the wait." She begged after they passed the seventh stall. Her nose wrinkled in distaste. On a normal day, she'd be pestering her parents for any one of those lovely looking desserts they'd just passed, but right now her stomach rolled at the thought._

 _Her mother was already invested in the next stall, chatting politely with the owner as they tried to lure her into purchasing their goods. Her father, attentive as ever, pulled his daughter in for a soothing, one-armed hug, already knowing that she was anxious for the trip back home without needing to ask._

 _"You don't want anything to eat, my little girl?" He gently tucked a strand of her long hair behind her ear. "It'll be a while before dinner and you haven't eaten since this morning."_

 _She shook her head immediately. "I don't care. I just want to go…"_

 _He hummed thoughtfully, watching as his wife bartered for a basket of food. She probably wanted to offer some of it to the captain and crew of the Esperanza as thanks for their service._

 _"Alright," he said, switching his attention back to her. "We'll leave right after this, but I'll need you to go and find—"_

 _He continued to talk to her, looking as if he was telling her to do something, but she couldn't catch a word of what he was saying. Tia stared up at him in confusion. Why in the world was he suddenly speaking like that? She continued to listen anyway, regardless of the fact that she had no idea what he was saying, and squeaked when he gave her a gentle push in the other direction._

 _What was she looking for exactly? She went to ask him again, but he urged her to go on, not hearing any of it. She frowned, but complied easily enough, figuring she'd eventually stumble across whatever it was she had to find soon or later. She just hoped it wouldn't be too hard to locate her parents afterwards._

 _She sighed, heading out of the busy markets and into a more open area where it was much easier to breathe without someone bumping into you every step of the way. The cobblestone paving was a dull grey that contrasted with the fading browns and reds of the buildings that sat alongside them, an odd structure of blue or yellow popping out every now and then. She felt like she knew this area quite well, but, for some reason, she had a hard time remembering anything about it. It was similar to that feeling of having a specific word right at the very tip of your tongue, waiting to be spoken, but the correct one would never quite come to mind. It was infuriating, but she kept going, somehow knowing she was heading in the right direction._

 _She was passing by a club or a tavern of sorts when she bumped into someone - a woman. Tia's eyes widened slightly. A scantily clad woman, to be more precise. She apologized, trying to ignore the fact that the woman's squished up breasts were practically hanging right in front of her face. She went to move around her, when her wrist was seized in a firm hold._

 _"Aren't you a pretty little thing, darling? What's your name?"_

 _"Not interested. Now, please let go of me," she relayed, almost instinctively. It didn't take a genius to know that this lady most likely worked in a less than favourable part of society just to get by each day, but that didn't mean Tia had to. She felt sympathy for her, but what else could she do when she was only ten years old?_

 _"A real shame," the woman muttered, looking genuinely disappointed. She released her hold on her. "You're a tad young, but the mistress would've loved such an attractive little addition to the family. You've a lovely accent too…"_

 _"Sorry," Tia said, resuming with her task of finding… something._

 _She didn't get very far before she heard the woman speaking in a loud fashion again, though it was directed at someone else this time._

 _"Why, look at you, darling! You look like you could use a good time!"_

 _Curiosity won and she looked back to spot the woman's new object of interest. It was a teenage boy—sixteen or seventeen, if she had to guess—who looked a little worse for wear, the neck of a half-empty bottle of alcohol clenched tightly in his right hand, while a small rucksack filled with his meagre belongings was held in the other. His baggy clothes hung limply off his lean form, his muscles yet to really fill them out properly. She attempted to get a closer look at his face, but to no avail; the promiscuous woman kept stepping in front of him, blocking her view of him. Instead, she watched on with caution, all too aware that she probably shouldn't be. She stepped off to the side, trying to blend in with a nearby group of people._

 _"Care to join me?"_

 _She didn't hear what else was being said, but judging by the way the woman was leaning over him, he'd agreed to it. She shook her head, having seen enough, and walked off. Whoever that boy was, she sincerely hoped he'd get his act together before it was too late._

 _It wasn't long before she reached a small park. The grass was a rich, healthy green, and the trees and flowers surrounding it were flourishing, leaving the park a beautiful sight for any passerbys. In the centre was a grand, old tree that towered into the sky, casting looming shadows over everything in its path, leaving Tia to debate over whether or not she wanted to approach it._

 _It was then that she noticed an older girl sitting on a swing that hung down from one of the sturdy looking branches. A boy of the same age stood behind her, pushing her without any real effort, but it didn't seem to bother her. Neither of them had faces, but like everything else in this place, she felt like she knew them._

 _Were they what she was looking for?_

 _Tia took a step forward and, suddenly, they were both looking right at her. She didn't see how it'd happened, but it startled her and she froze on the spot. Dark clouds moved in overhead much quicker than she could anticipate and the wind began to pick up, flicking her hair in every which direction. As she struggled to keep her hair at bay, loud shouts of her name could be heard. Why were they yelling?_

 _The boy and girl were suddenly running straight for her, racing to reach her first. Just before either of them could touch her, she screamed and everything went black._

* * *

Tia awoke early the next morning with a nasty headache and dark circles under her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to just sleep it off, but the fear of having another nightmare kept her from doing so. She decided it was probably a better idea to wake up and have something to eat, before heading out to finish off the last of her deliveries. There was only two left and they were fairly close by, so it didn't require too much effort. A walk and some fresh air would probably do her good anyway.

Her back and sides ached painfully when she sat up, and she realized she'd slept in her corset like a dumbass. Ibuprofen would be God's blessing, right now. She groaned. Add that to the list of reasons why she was upset today. She retrieved some fresh water from downstairs and made to give herself a quick wash with a clean cloth, and when she redressed, she kept the corset off and wore a long, hooded cloak over the top instead, hoping that would cover it.

It took her much longer than usual to make the deliveries and both customers gave her weird looks, asking if she was alright. Waving away their concerns, she wished them a good day and made her way over to the docks in search of a familiar ship. She knew Liam and Shay weren't expecting her, so they might not even be there, but it was worth a try.

Her earlier assumption was correct. No one seemed to be around, save for a few men who recognised her from earlier that year, when she'd sailed with them to the homestead for the very first time. They permitted her entrance onto the ship and she made herself comfortable by a stack of barrels on the quarterdeck. She easily could've gone straight into the captain's cabin and waited in there where it was probably a lot warmer, but after being caught reading Shay's journal all those months ago, she opted out of it.

"Miss?"

She blinked and looked up. A concerned, middle-aged man stood a respectable distance from her, wiping the sweat from his brow as he watched her with curiosity. The sky was significantly darker than when she'd first arrived. Huh? When had she fallen asleep?

"Perhaps it would be wise to head home before it gets too late." He suggested, scratching at his beard. "I'll let Captain Cormac know you were here."

She nodded and stood up on shaky legs. They felt heavy when she tried to walk, and the sailor seemed conflicted as to whether or not he wanted to assist her or simply leave her to her own devices. Not that she noticed his struggle. She was much too busy concentrating on keeping herself upright for that.

"Will you be needing an escort? I'm sure I can get one of the boys to walk you—"

"No, it's fine!" She snapped without meaning to, but his voice sounded so loud and she just wanted him to be quiet. She managed an apologetic look. "I appreciate the offer…"

He nodded and stayed put after that, watching her carefully as she stumbled down onto the docks with a clumsy gait that could be easily mistaken for someone who's had one too many to drink. What she needed was a comfy bed and some warm blankets. She leaned on whatever she could for assistance as she continued along, her eyes feeling heavier by the minute. She paused to lean against a nearby barrel, her head pounding. Perhaps it would've been wiser to accept that sailor's offer...

"Tia? What're you doin' out so late?"

She clutched at the edges of the barrel in alarm, her knuckles turning white. "Sh-Shay?"

"Hey, are you alright?"

Her eyes fluttered as she tried to focus on the blue-grey figure that was fast approaching her. His name was all she could muster before the world tilted and she was caught in a pair of warm arms.

* * *

 **A/N: Almost 3 months and I present you guys with a short-ass chapter. XD Honestly, though, I rewrote this chapter 3 times, all with completely different scenarios, mind you. So, damn, did it feel like a lot of wasted effort. Not only that, but I kept wanting to go back and edit my mistakes in older chapters—which I still will do right after I post this—and I keep getting stuck on how to proceed, so yeah.**

 **No worries, though. The chapter is finally out and I am still writing! I'm not ready to abandon this story yet! Keep an eye out for more, the next chapter will be very soon. And thank you to those who sent encouraging messages on tumblr, I appreciate it very, very much! ;)**

 **imakemyownblog**


	22. Chapter 22

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter Twenty Two**

"Rise and shine, Tia."

The teen groaned as she felt someone shake her shoulder, gently rousing her from her sleep. Disoriented, she rolled over onto her back and rubbed away at her eyes. "Hope?" She asked once she could finally make out the person standing beside the bed. "What happened? When did I get here?"

The young woman smiled, albeit a little grimly. "Shay returned with you last night, but you were in and out for almost five days. He said you passed out on him in the middle of the street and wouldn't wake up."

Tia's brows rose in surprise. "Far out..." She breathed, letting the white sheets pool around her hips as she sat up. That meant Shay would've had to carry her around everywhere, and god knows where she slept. Knowing him, he probably let her take his bed while he slept on the floor. She'd have to apologize for that later. Considering everything else, she didn't think it was actually possible for her to get sick like that here.

"Wait," she paused. "Does that mean my stuff is still at the inn?"

Hope shook her head, pouring hot tea into a cup. "No. Liam went to retrieve your things while Shay took care of you." She pointed over to a familiar sack that sat in the corner of the room.

Tia let out a breath of relief. Oh, thank god. The book and her phone were still in there. She couldn't even begin to think about what would've happened had they been left back at the inn, free for any random person to come across. It was hard enough getting strange looks for her hair all the time, she could only imagine what it would be like if she was held responsible for using 'objects of witchcraft' in the public vicinity.

"I think I need to speak with Achilles," she began, moving to get out of bed when Hope stopped her. She shot her a confused look. "What? I'm rising and shining."

"You need to drink this," Hope insisted, holding out the steaming beverage that Tia now realized was actually meant for her. "You've not been drinking enough."

"You know I don't like that stuff…" Tia muttered, eyeing the cup with a slight grimace. A stern look from the woman was all it took for her to accept the drink with a quiet groan. "Alright, alright. I'll drink the damn tea."

"Get changed and I'll have some food ready for you when you come out."

With that, Hope finally left the room with a click of the door, leaving Tia to herself. She managed to down about half of the tea before she gave up and left it on the dresser. If Hope wanted her to hydrate herself, then she would do it with plain water instead.

Once she was dressed into some clean clothes—she decided on her jeggings and sweater combo—she walked out to the lovely smell of freshly cooked toast. Her stomach rumbled in anticipation. When was the last time she ate? She mulled over the thought as she situated herself at the dining table, patiently awaiting Hope to join her. It wasn't long before a plate of toast was set down in front of her with multiple different jams and chutneys being placed beside it. Nothing too heavy on the stomach by the looks of it.

She grinned. "Thanks."

Hope sat across from her and they dug into their breakfast—almost quite literally for Tia, who didn't realize just how hungry she was. It took awhile for her stomach to catch up with her but soon she was rubbing at her full belly with a contented sigh.

The two of them talked over what happened, and Tia found it difficult to hide her discomfort as she recalled her strange dream. She didn't understand it and she probably never would, but she knew there was more to it than it being ' _just a dream_ '. Who was that teenage boy near the tavern, for instance, and what significance did he have to her? What about that boy and girl near the swing? And what did the prostitute lady have to do with anything at all? The thing that baffled her the most, though, was the fact that some of them had no faces.

As expected, Hope didn't seem to find it all that disturbing, and she eventually narrowed it down to the teen not taking proper care of herself—which, she guessed, was partially true. She _does_ have a pretty bad habit of forgetting to eat or drink enough water, so that probably didn't help her situation. But still, the dream felt way too real for her to just let it go.

"Is Shay still around?" She asked as they were cleaning their mess of the table.

"He should be, yes." Hope answered, grabbing the broom to give the area a quick sweep. "Last I heard, he was down by the docks readying his vessel for another mission. I'm not sure when he leaves, so if you want to catch him, you'll have to be quick."

"Ah, damn it, okay." Tia shuffled off to her room and returned with her shoes, slipping them on as she went. "I'll cook dinner tonight—as thanks for looking after me." She walked up to the woman and wrapped her arms around her in a quick hug, surprising both herself and Hope. "Yeah… I'll be back soon."

She dashed out the door before anything else could be said, and pinched the back of her hand a few times. Did that just happen? Did she really just _hug_ Hope Jensen? She didn't know why the whole idea of hugging the young woman was so strange, but it was. Unless she was handing the cocky recruits their asses, she always seemed so… _detached_ when it came to physical contact, even with Liam and Shay. A touch here and there, yes, but no hugging and whatnot. It was a difficult concept to grasp for someone like Tia. She loved hugs and cuddles. It was hard to believe she hasn't done any of that for almost a year now.

She shook her head to avoid falling into that tiny pit of sadness again, and instead focused on finding Shay. She had to thank him for earlier this week. _And perhaps… perhaps I can ask him to dinner?_ She bit her lip at the idea, already feeling the butterflies forming in her stomach. _Yeah, nope, I'm not game enough for that shit yet…_

On the night she was due to leave for the city, Tia finally gathered up enough courage to ask Hope if she and Shay were a couple. The woman looked amused at first, but, all in all, she soothed Tia's doubts and confirmed that they weren't dating—or _"courting"_ , as she had called it. Though, she was sure she caught the woman sending her curious looks after that.

It wasn't long before Tia found the young Irishman down by the water, commanding a few of his men around. He was free of his blue jacket for once and Tia decided she liked the way it looked; it was a lot more laidback. Ideal for Shay's personality. It looked like the last of the supplies for the trip was out and ready to go, and he went over to help the men load it onto the dinghy. She waited until the others were gone before approaching him.

"Shay," she called out, unable to stop herself from smiling.

"Ah, Tia," Shay turned his head to look at her. He smirked. "I was beginning to wonder when you'd come out of that den o' yours. You feelin' any better now?"

"Yeah, um, about that. Thank you. For helping me, I mean."

"It's not a problem, lass." He replied, regarding her with a chuckle. He looked to be in a good mood today. "I wasn't going to just leave ya there, o' course!"

"Oh, of course not! U-um…" _Stop it with the 'um's already!_ "So, where's Liam?" She resisted the urge to facepalm. Really? That's the best she could do?

Shay took a moment to glance around in search of his first mate. "He should be around here somewhere. You need him for something?"

"Nah, it's alright. I was just curious." She gestured out to the sailors who were climbing the side of the ship, hauling boxes of supplies over the side. "I heard you're going out on another mission. What's it for this time?"

"We're settin' sail for the Hudson River Valley to search for that damned manuscript and box again." Shay stated, folding his arms over his chest as he surveyed the men with a contemplative expression. "Achilles won't let up on anyone until those artefacts are within his grasp."

She had no idea what manuscript and box he even was talking about, but she nodded along anyway to save him the trouble of explaining it to her. "I see. How long will you—"

She startled when when a member of the crew walked up beside her and clamped a strong hand over Shay's shoulder. "We're ready to go when you are, Captain!"

"I'll be there in a moment, Fitz," Shay grinned, clapping the older man's arm in a friendly gesture. The man nodded and walked off, leaving the two of them alone once again. Shay quirked a brow at her, prompting her to continue. "As you were saying?"

"I was asking how long you'd be gone for..."

"I don't really know the answer to that one myself. Maybe, ah," he scratched at his chin in thought. "A month, at the most? Have to report back to the mentor and all."

"Alright, well," she tugged at the bottom of her sweater, suddenly feeling more nervous around him than she has in a long time. "I better let you go, then. Don't want to keep them waiting, right?"

"Right you are," he chuckled, waving at her as he sauntered down to the last dinghy. "I'll see you around when I get back."

"Wait!" Tia nearly shouted as she followed after him, reaching out for his arm. If she didn't have the guts to ask him to dinner, then she would settle for something else.

He halted, gazing at her through questioning eyes and, before she lost her nerve, she slowly moved forward and wrapped her arms around his waist in a timid hug. The butterflies were back fully now and she was about to withdraw when she was suddenly engulfed in his scent as he returned the affectionate gesture. He smelt of the ocean— _no surprise there_ —a light cologne, and something else she couldn't really pinpoint.

Sadly, the moment was over as quick as it started, and Tia barely had any time to comprehend what happened as he pulled away and squeezed her shoulders, a bright smile on his face. "You look after yourself, Tia."

He left and she released a breath she didn't realize she was holding. That was their first hug. That was...

 _Amazing._

* * *

Tia was disappointed to find out that Achilles wasn't home when she visited. Turns out, the man was away on a search mission himself, which was fair enough considering he had everyone else out on the search too. Abigail had apologized to her calmly, despite the fact that the young child in her arms— _Connor_ , she remembered—was screaming and crying into her ear. How she managed to remain so calm, Tia had no clue, but she left as quickly as possible after that, so as to not disturb the clearly busy woman any further.

Once she returned to the house, she called out, only to find that Hope had gone off somewhere as well. She was tempted to go looking for her but quickly decided against it when the tiny ache in her head threatened to return again. Perhaps it would be best if she took it easy for the rest of the day lest she risk falling ill for the second time. She made a last minute decision to grab the book and a few biscuits from the kitchen before settling into bed, leaning back against the headboard.

Achilles might not be here, but that didn't mean she couldn't work on the book. After all, she was the one who found it in the first place _and_ it had _her_ name in it. Not that the man was trying to claim it as his own, but sometimes she felt as if he wanted to. She flipped it open to a fresh page. Speaking of which—

"Am I the only one who can use this book?" She voiced, nibbling away on one of the biscuits. She knew she didn't necessarily have to speak to it, but it felt a lot less weird than just thinking it. It kind of reminded her of Cortana, the voice-controlled assistant on her laptop back home.

The reply was almost instant, and her face lit up in triumph. She was getting a lot better at this—whatever 'this' was exactly…

 _"The book can be used by anyone in possession of it. You are merely it's current owner."_

"Ah, so like… if someone were to take it from me right now, they'd be able to use it?"

 _"That is correct."_

"Well, that's not very reliable." Tia tsked, not pleased in the slightest. "How would I get home if that happened? I'd be stuck here!"

 _"You must protect the book at all costs."_

She rolled her eyes at that—she swore it was like talking to a brick wall sometimes. "Yeah, I'm aware. If anyone can use this, then surely someone's done so before me. Where's all their writing, huh?"

She skimmed through the pages again, already knowing there was nothing to find since she'd already looked several times before. It was like a brand new notebook, save for their conversation which now sat inside.

 _"With each new owner comes a clean slate."_

"That makes sense, I guess…" She furrowed her brows. "What else can the book do, then? Is it just time travel?"

 _"The Book of Eden,"_ at least she knew what it was now, _"- is capable of many things—time travel being but one of them. It was originally created to 'rewrite history', as you humans so call it, but many before you have mistreated its power and have tarnished the future instead."_

Tia struggled to comprehend the new load of information. She wanted to be skeptical at first, but there was no room to be when she knew full well just how capable the book was of doing all these things. She was living proof—something people from her time could only dream of and make movies about! But to actually _rewrite history_? Now, that's a scary thought.

She closed her eyes for a moment to think. This _'Book of Eden'_ was being so cooperative right now, she didn't want to ruin it by asking stupid questions. "If what you say is true, then why did you target me specifically and send me back in time? What use am I here when I know next to nothing about this time period?"

The book fell mum and, for a second, she almost thought that that was it, that it had decided she'd asked enough questions already. She was relieved when two familiar symbols began to appear on the page, along with some more writing. She knew what one of those meant now, at least, but the other one still drew a blank.

 _"You have a purpose here - one that you will discover on your own when the time is right."_

"Okay, I get that, but I still don't understand why you had to send me back two hundred odd years just for this. Why couldn't you have picked someone who's actually from this time to do it?" She flicked her hands up in frustration and muttered the last part under her breath. "I mean, far out, it's like I'm being forced to go on that dumb school camping trip again!"

She remembered that cursed trip very clearly, too. It sucked. A lot. And not just because there was no phones or technology allowed, but because they demanded complete participation from _everyone_ —no excuses. The worst part about it was when she received a demerit on her record for refusing to go snorkelling with the rest of her group, meaning she had to sit with one of the teachers on the beach while everyone else enjoyed themselves for the remainder of the day. It wasn't her fault she was terrified of swimming!

 _"You are not ready yet."_

Annoyance bubbled within her gut and she glared at the page with fiery eyes. "Then when the hell will I be ready? 'Cause I honestly doubt I can be any more ready than I am now." The book remained silent this time and she continued, determined to get one more answer out of it. "At least tell me where my parents are? You can do that, right? I think I deserve that much..."

 _"You do not need to worry. They are safe."_

The second she read those words, Tia all but dropped the book into her lap and buried her face into shaking hands, biting her lower lip in a weak attempt to stop herself from crying. It didn't work very well. The dam broke and soon hot tears were flowing down her cheeks in thin rivulets, leaving her hiccuping into the crook of her arm as she tried to collect herself.

Little did she know that a pair of worried eyes were watching her through a slim crack in the door.

* * *

A few hours later, Tia stood in the kitchen, busying herself with chopping up vegetables for dinner. After her session with the Book of Eden, she'd tucked it away into her bedside table for another time. Despite how vague it's answers were, knowing that her parents were alright was enough to satisfy her for the time being.

She surfed around YouTube to pass the time after that, watching vlogs and new music videos that she'd missed. It was at times like these that she learnt to really appreciate the app—the beautiful, procrastination-inducing app. What would she do without it? She only realized how late it was when Hope had poked her head into the room, wondering what she was snickering at.

"Hey, Hope?" She called, glancing over to the young woman seated comfortably by the hearth. "Can you tell me more about the Assassins?"

Hope looked up at that, her dark eyes searching. It was obvious in the way that her eyes were narrowing that it was a subject she hadn't expected the teen to want to delve into. "Why the sudden curiosity?" She responded, her tone calculating.

Tia paused mid-chop. "I talked to the book earlier. It showed me those symbols again—I know one of them as the symbol of the Assassins, but I still don't know what the other one is. Is it a," she struggled to find the right word, "- a sub unit of some kind?"

"A _sub unit_?"

Tia chuckled lightly, "Sorry, I'm thinking K-pop terms here." At Hope's growing confusion, she moved on, not even bothering to explain what the music genre was. Now was not the time for that. "Ugh, I don't know the right word for it! I'm asking if it's like a different kind of Assassin group?"

Hope's lips formed a thin line at Tia's question, and she sat back in her chair, watching as the girl pointedly kept her hands busy. "Are you referring to a red cross symbol?"

"That's the one!"

"They are not Assassins," Hope declared, a certain bite to her tone that made Tia wince. "They are our enemies. The Templars."

"So, these Templars, then," Tia began, hesitant, as she moved the vegetables into a pot of water. "They're the ones that were spying on me in the city?"

"Yes."

"Are they dangerous?" _If they're enemies of the Assassins, then of course they're dangerous to some degree, you idiot…_

"They are," Hope confirmed, watching the hot flames as they flickered away in the hearth. "The Assassins have been at war with them for many centuries now and I fear it won't be finishing anytime soon—not during this lifetime, at least."

Tia hummed, sprinkling some seasoning into the pot as it cooked away on the fire before placing her full attention on Hope. "What's so bad about them that you're locked in war with them?" She questioned, quirking a brow.

"Are you sure you want to go down this road?" Hope's dark eyes trailed over to the curious teen still standing in the kitchen. "Knowing more than you already do will only cement yourself into a life of danger and secrecy, regardless of the fact that you're not a member of the brotherhood. Mere association is enough to be used against us."

A mirthless smile crossed Tia's lips. "Don't you think it's a little too late to be considering my options now? I mean, I've already been followed in the city _and_ you've had to take some of them out as well..."

" _Yes_ , and it's only a matter of time before they manage to make contact with you, especially since you've resumed your job as a courier once more." Hope pointed out, shooting her a look as she delivered the last of her words. "You would be much safer here at the homestead."

"As sweet as that is, I don't want to have to spend the rest of my time here, scared shitless just because a bunch of thugs may or may not kidnap me. I want to _do_ things, Hope; get out of the house, see the world as it is now before I have to head back. Who knows when that could be? It could be tomorrow for all we know!"

Hope stood up now, her eyes narrowed as she approached the girl. "What do you think our lessons have been for, hm? Do you think we teach you sword-fighting, hand-to-hand combat, swimming—any of those things—just for the sake of it?"

Tia backed up slightly once she was within arm's length. Right now, the young woman looked every bit the Assassin she imagined she was: bathed in the dark orange glow of the candlelights, her cat-like eyes narrowed in on her like she was a target ready for the taking. The only thing that kept her from moving away completely was the fact that she knew Hope was only doing this to intimidate her. The woman cared about her more than she let on and Tia was all too aware of it.

"Every time you step foot outside these lands, there's always the danger of being hunted down and perhaps even killed. You might not know much now, but that matters little to them. Like I said before, mere association is enough."

Tia frowned, trying to understand the capacity of her words. "Look, I—" she ran a hand through her hair. "I get it, okay? You guys don't want your secrets exposed and you sure as hell don't want your plans coming to a halt just because of someone like me screwing around. If you tell me, I promise I'll be more careful."

Hope seemed to consider it for a moment before sighing. "That, and you will stay at the mansion from now on. I have guards there."

"Alright, sounds fair enough to me..." Tia begrudgingly agreed, glad that they finally were finally getting somewhere.

* * *

 _Early December | New York City_

Tia burst through the door of her favourite tailor shop, almost tripping over her own dress in the process. A startled pair of hazel eyes watched the silver-haired teen as she slammed the door shut and locked it behind her.

"Tia, what in God's name are you doing?"

" _Shh_ , Mrs Bailey," Tia pleaded in a hushed tone, out of breath. She slowly lifted one of the blinds by the window and took a quick peek outside. "It's taken me forever to lose these guys!"

The tailor's brows rose in incredulity as she flipped the shop ledger shut to come stand by the alert girl. "Lose who? What sort of trouble have you gotten yourself into?" She asked, wanting to have a look outside herself.

"No, don't, you'll give me away!" Tia stressed, grabbing the blond woman's outstretched hand to pull her away from the window and into the middle of her shop. "It's just a couple of guys my," Tia thought for a moment, "- my _sister_ hired to protect me."

Hope wasn't her sister but she decided the woman didn't need to know that little piece of information. As for the men that were following her around? They were her guards. Hope thought it would be a fantastic idea to pin two guards onto her to follow her around while she roamed the city—to 'protect' her, she'd said. She couldn't have picked a worse combo, honestly.

"Wait, you have a sister? How come you didn't tell me? And what could you possibly need protection from?"

Tia could tell the middle-aged woman was growing more and more overwhelmed by the second, so she smoothly took her hands into her own and spoke her next words calmly. "It's really nothing to worry about, Mrs Bailey, my sister is a little extra."

Mrs Bailey seemed confused by her poor choice of words, but she sighed anyway and gave the girl a stern look. "Hm, alright then. And how many times do I have to tell you? It's Kathy or Katherine! Mrs Bailey makes me feel old."

Tia laughed good-naturedly, following the woman over to the front counter. "Sorry, Kathy."

"Well, you've impeccable timing, really," Kathy told her, putting the situation behind them. "I finished your order just yesterday. Wait here while I go get them for you!"

Tia grinned at the lady as she disappeared around the corner with the excitement of a little schoolgirl. She was passionate, she'd give her that. Meanwhile, she walked around the quaint, little store, paying little attention to the dresses on display and instead taking an interest in the tiny cracks along the old, wooden floorboards. As old as it was, she actually quite liked it in here. It was calming and always smelled of fresh flowers, most likely bought from the florist next door.

"Here we are, my dear!" Kathy called as she exited the back room carrying a few items of clothing over her arm. She placed them onto the counter for the girl to see. "A navy blue dress suited to your personal tastes, along with matching gloves, stockings and a warm coat for the winter."

Tia was running her fingers along the length of the dress as she listened, tilting her head in confusion when she caught the last part. "You made a coat for me? I don't remember ordering one of those…"

The woman nodded, a grim look overtaking her features. "Business has been rather slow as of late, so I had the free time. I was hoping you'd want to…" She waved her hands after a moment and moved to take the coat back, "Oh, never mind. It was rude of me to assume such things."

"It's fine, I'll take it," Tia decided, plucking the blue bundle from the woman's hands before she could take it away. She held it up, admiring the work closely. "Besides, it goes with my new dress, doesn't it? I was actually going to come in here last month and order a couple of them from you, but I got sick before I could."

Kathy still seemed unsure, but after some insistence, she finally gave in and offered her the new price for today. It wasn't as much as the teen expected and she happily paid the woman a little extra for all the hard work.

"You know," Tia began as she tucked her new clothes into a bag. "If you ever need any help around the shop, don't hesitate to ask me."

"Oh no, I couldn't do that! I'm sure you're plenty busy with those deliveries of yours."

"I honestly don't mind." She assured the surprised tailor. "It's a bit boring at home when the deliveries are done, and if it gets me away from dumb and dumber out there? Even better." The door suddenly rattled on it's hinges as someone pounded on it. Two men could be heard arguing outside, and Tia rolled her eyes at the noise. "Speak of the devil."

"Will you be alright?" Kathy asked with uncertainty as the door shook again.

"Yeah, I'll be okay. My sister would have their heads if anything happened to me." Tia rambled, before offering her smile. "Anyway, thanks again for the new clothes, I'll be sure to wear them as soon as possible! And think about my offer, will you?"

"Alright, Tia, I will." She then gestured over to the windows with a grimace. "Do tell your sister to get those ruffians off your back. They must look an awful sight for any potential suitors!"

Tia's smile faltered slightly as she made her way towards the exit. "Y-yeah, potential suitors, gotcha."

"Oi, Tia!" A deep, muffled voice rumbled from outside. "Why'd you run off like that for?"

The teen flung the door open, annoyance clear on her face. She shot the taller man a look. "Take a wild guess, Eric."

Eric chuckled humorlessly and ran a gloved hand through his greasy, brown locks. "Mistress Hope said you might be difficult. She forgot to tell us that you'd be a little bitc—"

"See ya later, Kathy!" Tia called, hastily cutting off the rest of his sentence before the older woman could hear it. She threw them a glare and stomped off in the direction of the mansion, fully intending to lock herself in her room once she got there—dinner be damned. " _Seriously?_ Haven't you two got anything better to do than to follow me around all day?"

The shorter man, Ned, scoffed at her words. "We don't take orders from you, Ramirez. We're just doing our job."

Tia decided she preferred Ned over Eric. The mere preference was not to be mistaken, though, for they were both insufferable assholes. But if she had to choose one, then she'd take tiny man, hands down. He was the least pushy of the two and really only spoke when spoken to. Plus, he was really short and it made her feel like she had some kind of power over him. Eric, on the other hand… he was something else. The second she laid eyes on him, she knew she would hate him. He looked like the kind of person that would kick puppies for the fun of it.

 _ **"Go do your jobs somewhere else then, you pricks…"**_ She muttered under her breath in Spanish. It felt a little strange speaking the language after so long—which would drive her dad insane if he ever found out—but it was a good outlet when she was upset like this.

"I'm familiar with the Spanish language, _girl_ ," Eric growled behind her. His boots sounded heavy as they thumped along the cobblestone road, easily keeping stride with the angry teen.

 _ **"Great, then you'll understand me when I tell you to piss the hell off."**_

"Oi, that's it!" He reached out and aggressively pulled her backwards, his long fingers digging into her shoulders. "C'mere, you little shit—"

She struggled in his tight hold with a pained cry, doing her best to push him away. She expected him to be pissed off, yes, but he'd never gone so far as to actually put a hand on her, even after nearly three weeks of being her guard. His pale blue eyes glared down at her with so much pent up ferocity that he could've easily been mistaken for some kind of mental patient. His foul breath drifted across her face and she mentally prepared herself to tear into Hope the second she stepped foot into the mansion.

A cough aiming to grab their attention sounded from behind them and their eyes zipped over to the culprit. Behind them stood a less than impressed, middle-aged man along with three others at his side - all dressed in the uniform of the British Army. The middle-aged man made it clear that he was the one who coughed by stepping forward, his black and red uniform with gold trim lending him an air of superiority. His blue eyes narrowed onto Eric, accusation in his tone as he spoke.

"That is no way to treat a young lady. You will unhand her right this second or my men and I will be forced to take action."

The man's threat did nothing to quell Eric's anger and he smiled menacingly. "I don't believe this concerns any of you, so how about you bugger off."

"Eric, just let her go." Huh. Even Ned was smart enough to notice they were outnumbered. "Hope's not going to be happy about this…"

The last part seemed to get to him and his hold loosened considerably. Tia took the opportunity to slip out of his grasp and move away, wincing in pain as she rubbed her aching shoulders. That was definitely going to leave marks.

"You'd best keep your hands to yourself next time. Leave."

Tia stood there awkwardly as Eric glared daggers at her before turning around on his heel and storming off, with Ned following behind shortly. Yeah. Hope was definitely going to hear about this.

"Are you alright, ma'am?"

She looked up to her saviour and noticed him searching discreetly for any noticeable signs of harm on her body. The others stayed back. "Y-yes, thank you, ehm…?"

The man bowed his head slightly in greeting, resuming his dignified posture from earlier. "Colonel George Monro of the British Army, at your service."

"A pleasure, Colonel." She said, offering him the tiniest of smiles. She felt tired already. "Tia Ramirez."

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Ramirez. Now," he motioned for his men to come forward and offered his arm out to her. "Would you like an escort home?"

She hesitated, honey brown eyes scrutinizing the men before her, before gingerly taking his arm. "That would be great, thank you."

* * *

 **A/N: So, this is officially the fastest update I've done since I first uploaded the story. Probably a bunch of typos, too XD I feel like there's some significant progress with this chapter, both romance-wise and plot-wise in general, so I'm happy. What do you guys think? ;)**

 **Also, a huge thank you to those who are keeping up with this story even though my update patterns are all over the place. I really, really appreciate it. Like, y'all don't understand. I get a bad case of feels whenever I see regular reviewers, hahaha T.T**

 **P.S. I have a new story idea (Shay based, of course) and I may or may not be uploading the first chapter some time next month. Maybe. Don't worry though, it won't steal my attention from this story, I promise.**

 **imakemyownblog x :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter Twenty Three**

Tia tried her best not to fidget as she was led along the darkening streets of New York by the Colonel and his men, their weapons clinking against their sides as they went. One of the soldiers had her bag carefully tossed over his shoulder after being ordered to carry it for her. She felt bad and wanted to take it back, but the Colonel assured her that it was fine.

She had seen plenty of British soldiers around the city before, but she never really got close to any of them. To her, they were just policemen, doing their job to keep the city safe. She didn't know what their current role in America was, but that couldn't be it, could it? She would have to Google it later.

"So, Miss Ramirez, may I ask what were you doing with those... _troublesome_ individuals?" The Colonel spoke up in his strangely soothing voice, peering down at her with curiosity. He was a tall man, she'd noticed.

She pursed her lips at his question. Was she allowed to tell him the truth? Hope did mention that the war between the Assassins and the Templars was a secret, and that no one else could know of it's existence.

"They're just some friends of mine." She fibbed, her voice wavering slightly at the end. She mentally cringed. _I'm such a terrible liar, what the hell…_

"I see," he replied nonchalantly, but she knew he could see right through her. He cocked his head, thoughtful. "And did you know that those friends of yours are actually criminals?"

Tia bit her lip. "N-no… I didn't know."

"Indeed," he continued, his watchful eyes surveying the path ahead of them. They turned onto the next street over, the repetitive buildings of the city thinning out into more rural farmlands. "They are members of a local gang responsible for terrorizing many civilians in the area. Whatever your true relationship is with them," he glanced at her, "I advise you take caution."

Her lips curled into a frown. Hope didn't say anything about her guards belonging to some street gang. Not only that, but they constantly referred to her as their boss. Did that make Hope a criminal as well? Well, technically, she was already classed as one because she was an assassin, after all. But to run an illegal gang as well?

Her mind soured at the thought of going back to the mansion, already knowing that plenty of those miscreants roamed the extensive grounds. If Hope really was their boss—which she didn't doubt considering how a lot of them grew nervous in her very presence—then maybe she needed to rethink her stay there. She didn't feel safe there anymore, especially not with Eric hanging around.

She sighed, trying not to think about how sore her shoulders were. _Hope was right, after all. I should have just stayed at the homestead…_

"I am sorry if I have upset you with this news," the Colonel said, taking note of her long silence.

"No, it's fine." She built up the courage to smile, despite how frustrated she was becoming. "It's better off that I know anyway. Thank you."

"I must admit, I am surprised you weren't aware of this information already. Their dangerous activities are quite well known around the city."

"Yeah, I'm not from around here, so…" She trailed off, offhandedly tapping her fingers against his arm without realizing.

"Your accent _is_ rather peculiar, now that I think about it." He commented, not seeming to mind her restless actions. "Do you hail from Europe?"

"Spain," she clarified. "It's been awhile since I've been back there, though."

"That would explain the accent within an accent."

She chuckled. "It's a mess, I know."

There was no doubt that he was catching onto parts of her Australian accent in her speech. After being here for so long, she'd tried to lessen it significantly, hoping that it would garner less curiosity that way. It worked for the most part, but some people were still able to catch onto it and that's when the questioning would start.

Silence lingered between the two after that and soon they were nearing the huge property, lined with tall gates. Tia halted, effectively stopping the rest of the group from going any further. She quickly scanned the perimeter and was shocked to see that none of the usual gang members hung around outside, sneering at anyone who came too close (which now made sense in Tia's head). Where was everyone?

"Is this where you reside?" The Colonel asked.

"Yeah, but it's only temporary." She told him, looking back at him now. "My friend actually owns the place."

"You're unusually popular for someone who doesn't come from here," he stated, his eyes roaming over the beautiful gardens situated out front. He was probably wondering what kind of connections she had to have a friend that owned such a place.

"I guess so. Anyway, thank you for walking me home." She dropped her arm from his, taking a step back. "And for helping me out earlier," she added.

"It's quite alright. I couldn't just stand by after witnessing such a vile act. Those foul criminals get away with far too much already."

"Yeah, uh…" She awkwardly gestured for her bag and the soldier returned it to her with a nod. She offered them one last smile. "I better head in now."

"Of course," he said, bowing his head. "Have a good evening, Miss Ramirez."

She calmly walked onto the property, fully aware that their eyes were still following after her, no doubt waiting until she was safely inside. Once the front door had clicked shut behind her, she bolted into a run and headed upstairs. "Hope!"

The young woman wasn't in her room when she checked and so she quickly headed into her own room to rid herself of her bag before continuing her search. She needed to speak to her right now while she still had some fire in her. Her shoulders muscles were aching now and she resisted the urge to kick something as she stormed through the halls, wanting nothing more than to swear at anyone who so much as looked at her.

It took her a while, but after walking in circles for the last twenty minutes, she slowly realized that Hope must've been out in the connecting warehouse. That was where she liked to practice and plan things.

Heading out the back, she quickly discovered that this was where the missing gang members were, all of them staring at her as she all but slammed the back door open in her anger. She spotted Eric conversing with a few of his mates not too far from the warehouse entrance and she ignored the hefty weight of his glare as she walked past.

Surely enough, the purple-clad assassin was inside, leaning over a table filled with loose papers and a map, a lantern lit at each end. She glanced up as the teen entered, already expecting her arrival. "Tia."

"How dare you!" She spat, advancing on the young woman. "How dare you place me under the care of two criminals— _un-fucking-wanted_ , may I add—and expect me not to find out! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Hope remained calm despite the accusations being hurled at her. She regarded Tia with raised brows. "It is for your safety that I—"

"My _safety_?" Tia laughed disdainfully. She pulled the arms of her dress down, baring the soft skin of her shoulders to the woman. "That piece of shit outside you call a guard did this to me! Or did he forget to run that by you?"

Hope's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the finger marks. "He will be dealt with," she said, her tone clipped.

Tia noticed her attention stray towards something behind her and she turned her head to find the very person she was complaining about standing by the door. He looked furious, but hesitated to come any closer. She guess she had his _boss_ to thank for that.

"What? Think I'd keep my mouth shut?" Tia made a face at him, pulling her dress back into place. "Bitch, you fucking thought."

"I know you're angry, Tia, but I need you to tone it down." Hope warned, her face curling in distaste at the sudden display of vulgar language from the teen. She made her way to the warehouse door and gave Eric a sharp look. "You, out. I will deal with you later."

Once the tall, wooden door was shut and they were given their privacy, Tia whirled around again, still fuming. "So, you run a gang too now, do you? Did you plan on telling me for once or were you expecting me to just find out on my own like all the other times?"

"No, you weren't supposed to find out at all, actually." Hope sighed, returning to the table with her arms folded across her chest. She seemed disappointed. For what, Tia didn't care.

"Right. Well, a man of the British Army was kind enough to screw up your little plan there." She shook her head, glaring at a few boxes that sat off to the side. _Probably filled with something illegal_ , Tia thought darkly.

Hope's brows knitted together. "I apologize for the actions of my men. I will see to it that they receive proper punishment."

"And what about the whole gang thing, huh? Does Achilles know about this or is this just a side project?"

"He knows."

"Yeah, of course he does. How stupid of me to ask." She sighed, flinging her hands up in defeat. "You know what? I don't care anymore. I'm going back to the homestead in the morning."

"Tia—"

"No, don't. I'm tired, I'm sore, and, frankly, I've had enough of this shit." Tia said, cutting her off. She trudged her way over to the exit without sparing the woman another glance. "Just do me a favour and leave me alone."

* * *

 _December 19th, 1752_

The carriage ride back to the homestead was a long and uncomfortable one, the freezing cold weather being more than enough reason for Tia and the driver to stop several times on their way over, nearly doubling the usual time frame in which it takes to get home.

"Thanks, Mr Park." She said, hopping out of the carriage once they reached the house. She pulled a small pouch of money out of her bag and handed it up to him.

"Oh, uh," the old man's smile faltered as he took a peek inside. "This is too much, darlin'…"

"Don't worry about it. Get you and your horses something nice to eat tonight." She told him, gently petting the closest animal on the side. It's tail flicked around at the touch, almost whacking her in the face, and she moved away, fighting off a grin. "Beautiful things, they are."

"They are, aren't they? They like ye, too."

"It doesn't feel that way, but I'll take your word for it," she giggled, feeling the tail flick away at her sides. "Thanks again, Mr Park. Have a good night!"

After bidding the man a final goodbye, she trekked over to the house and stomped her feet at the door to get rid of the loose snow. Once inside, she sighed gratefully and rid herself of her shoes. It was still pretty cold inside considering there was no one around to light the fireplace, but it was noticeably warmer in here than outside. She went into her room to get changed and came back out in her jeggings and sweater, with a thick blanket from the bed wrapped around her like a burrito.

 _Okay, it's still freakin' cold in here_ , she thought, staring longingly at the empty fireplace. There was no wood beside it, meaning she was out of a way to heat up the house. Looks like she'd have to deal with the cold for tonight. And her hunger too, since there was no food in the kitchen either.

A knock at the door stole her attention from her grumbling stomach. "Hang on," she called, shuffling over as quick as she could in her little bundle. She unlocked the door and pulled it open. "What the heck?" She said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Shay shook his head, the beginnings of a smile on his lips. "I think that's one of the nicest greetings I've ever gotten from you."

"Oh, shh," she laughed, pulling him inside so she could shut the door. "But seriously, I just got back."

"I know, I saw you go by in the carriage."

"Ah yeah, that was fun!" She said, a sarcastic edge to her tone. Her stomach rumbled again and she tightened the blanket around herself in embarrassment. "I, uh, might be a little hungry."

"You don't have any food, do you?"

"Nope."

"Thought so," he said, looking around. He cocked his head towards the fireplace. "Looks like you're clean out of firewood, too."

"Yeah, that too. Are you done pointing out what I don't have?" She groaned, fighting off another shiver. She would need to find another blanket to sleep with tonight because there was no way this one was warm enough. She would probably have to steal the one off Hope's bed.

"Aye, I think I'm done." He chuckled, leaning against the wall near the door. "On a serious note, though, why don't you go put some shoes on and we'll head over to the Morrigan for something to eat."

Wait. Did he just ask her to dinner? She knew he didn't mean it like that, but it didn't stop the excitement that bubbled from within. Then she remembered that, in order to get to the ship in the first place, she was required to go back outside.

"But, _Mother Nature_..." She whined.

"Don't make me carry you there, lass. I did enough of that a few weeks back."

The statement shut her up right away and she rolled her eyes, grabbing her shoes and slipping them back on. "Okay, I'm ready!" She exclaimed.

His eyes trailed over her wrapped up form and he laughed, opening the door for her. "You're bringing the blanket, are you?"

"Of course, I'm bringing the blanket." She confirmed, already shivering before she even took her first step outside. "It's way too cold out here!"

"Ah, it's not that bad," he said, waving a joking hand at her as he closed the door after him. "'Sides, it's only gonna get colder from here on out, so best prepare yourself."

"Thanks for the warning, Shay," she deadpanned.

"It's nothin', lass."

With Tia being as cold as she was, she wanted to get out of the weather as soon as possible, and so the two of them managed to make it to the ship in record time. Shay helped her up onto the deck and she glanced around. It's been awhile since she's been on board—that she can remember, anyway...

"Come on," Shay said, prompting her to follow him into his cabin. "Let's get you settled in and then I'll head down to let the cook know he's cookin' for two tonight."

She stepped inside and removed her wet shoes once again, leaving them by the door for later. She looked around in confusion. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Keep your cabin so warm?" She gestured around in an exaggerated manner, her blanket flying about. "There's not even a fireplace in here!"

He made his way over to the main desk and began clearing off the surface for the two of them. "I don't know what you're talkin' about, this is how it normally is in here." He said, placing a pile of papers onto the window seat behind him.

She plopped herself onto the guest chair. "Really? I'm kinda jealous."

"Don't be," he chuckled. "Summer is a pain."

Shay then set up several candles around the cabin, lighting them before it got too dark. When he left to go inform the cook of their extra guest, Tia pulled out her phone to check for notifications. Mark had been pretty silent as of late and she had to wonder if it was because of Christmas coming up or if he was just busy with his new job. Well, he'd officially ' _joined the team'_ just over a month ago, but it was still new. She locked the screen with a sigh and tucked the device back into her pocket, making a mental note to call him later.

The door opened and closed again, signalling Shay's return. He sat down behind the desk and leaned back in his chair with a groan, his gloved hands clasped behind his head. "So, how've you been? Your job going well?"

"Yeah, the job's alright. It's a bit tiring walking around everywhere, but I manage to get the job done, so." She presented him with a thumbs up, then lazily dropped her hand onto her lap afterwards. She continued, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I've actually been debating with Achilles about learning how to ride a horse. It would be so much easier getting around that way—and quicker, too."

"Aye, that'd be handy for ya. I'd offer to teach you, but I'm afraid I'm lacking the proper skill in that department." He admitted with a sheepish smile.

"Huh, interesting. I thought all of you would know how to ride."

"Only a handful of us don't know how—like Liam and myself, for example. Our strong suits are with the ocean. We know the basics, but not enough to teach others without makin' a fool of ourselves by fallin' flat on our arses."

Tia snickered at that. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Hope knows how to do it, she could probably show you," he offered, not missing the way Tia's shoulders sagged at the mention of their friend. He leaned forward, brows knitted. "What's botherin' ya?"

She glanced up at him, her eyes guilty. "I didn't exactly part with Hope on good terms. I sorta lost my shit at her and then left the next morning…"

"So, that's why you're back early, then." Shay hummed, his lips curling downwards. "What happened?"

"It's a long story," she said, rubbing her forearm.

"We have time, don't we?"

That was all it took for Tia to delve into the story of what went down between her and the female assassin—omitting the parts she didn't deem important, of course. Shay seemed to soak it up like a sponge, listening intently to her words even as the cook walked in and placed their plates down in front of them. They were about halfway through their meals when Shay felt the need to butt in, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"What does this Eric fellow look like exactly? I might have to pay him a little visit on my next journey."

"Don't worry, Hope's probably done that already." She informed him, managing a small smile. It was nice to know he'd stick up for her like that. Focusing back on her meal, she glanced at the meat with a grimace. "Hey, uh," she poked her fork at it. "Do you want this?"

He looked at her, confused. "Hm? You don't like it?"

"Nah, it's not that," she said, standing up to scrape the offending food onto his plate, save for the leftover veggies. "I just don't eat meat."

He seemed baffled by the very thought of it, which didn't surprise her, really. He seemed like a big meat-eater, if the extra helping he already had was enough of an indicator. "Don't eat—how come?" He asked incredulously.

"Honestly, I could go on forever about that, but I'll just stick with saying I don't enjoy it."

He shrugged, digging in. "Each to their own, I guess."

The rest of their meal was spent in companionable silence, both of them relishing in the warmth of the cabin. The sun had well disappeared into the horizon by now, giving way for the twinkling stars and the light smattering of clouds. The water of the bay was calm, thankfully, and it left Tia feeling more peaceful than she has in a long time.

"Still got some energy left in ya?" Shay piped up after a while.

"Sure," she shrugged, her movements lazy, "but if it involves me getting up, then no."

"Ah, that's a shame, lass. I thought now would be the perfect time to finally get that dance lesson of ours in..." He suggested, interlacing his fingers on the table.

She straightened up in her chair then, her eyes wide with surprise. "Wait, you wanna learn dancing? Right now?"

"Why not? The night is still young."

"True," she agreed, taking a quick glance out the window. Truthfully, she didn't know what time it was, but that didn't matter. She wasn't even tired yet and if it put off the walk home, she'd do it. That, and she wanted to spend more time with him. "Okay, then," she whipped out her phone again, opening up the music app. "What kind of dance do you wanna learn?"

"What's that one you were goin' on about earlier this year? _Hip-hop_?"

She laughed. "Oh yeah, about that, my friend didn't actually invent hip-hop. It was created in the nineteen-seventies, I think? I'm not too sure, actually. In my defense, though, I had to lie!"

"It's alright, lass. I understand." Shay chuckled as he got up and moved to sit in the other guest chair beside her, so he could look at the phone too. "What does this dance look like anyway?"

"Well, for one, it's not like your usual dancing where everything is sort of… planned or has a certain order about it. There's a lot of improvisation involved. But tonight, maybe we can do something a little easier—something short."

She opened up YouTube and scrolled through a heap of videos that she could show him, but she had trouble deciding. "Actually, you know what? I'll just show you what it looks like and then we can pick something after." She said, standing up and handing him the phone. "Tap this arrow thingy when I give you the cue."

She relieved herself of the blanket and moved back, shaking her arms and legs out. She gave a thumbs up and he clicked play on the song, placing the phone in his lap so he could watch. Although the dance was short, it was one of her favourites. She hit every movement fluidly, whether it was a wave of the arm or quick movements with her legs and feet. When the music stopped, she was slightly out of breath and had a wide grin stretched across her face.

"Feels good to dance like that again," she beamed.

It seemed her smile was infectious, as Shay seemed unable to hold back one of his own. "I've never seen anything like it. Though, I don't know whether I should comment on the dance or the actual song lyrics."

"Yeah, the words are a little…" She trailed off, making a face to try and get her point across.

"Suggestive?"

"Yeah."

"I want to learn this one." He got up and handed the phone back to her.

Tia raised her brows, uncertain, and restarted the song. "Are you sure? I could probably find something a little easier."

"I'll give it a go," he said, taking off his jacket and gloves, and leaving them hanging over the side of the chair. "So, what's first?"

"Moving the tables back," Tia laughed. "There's like no room in here."

He glanced around with a chuckle. "I s'pose you're right."

They worked together in moving the furniture out of the way and soon they had enough room to maneuver around in. It was still pretty cramped and Tia only wished she could've shown him the gym back home, but they could make do with this. As Tia showed him the first part of the dance, she noticed that he was pretty quick to pick up on it, but had trouble executing some of the more complicated movements.

She grabbed his wrists and shook them about, trying to get him to loosen up. "Stop being so stiff, dude, you look like a stick about to break in half!"

"I can't help it, it's so fast!" He persisted, shaking head.

Tia eagerly resumed the lesson, grinning almost the entire time. She discovered that he was pretty fun to teach, mainly because he liked to make ridiculous comments when he had trouble with the more difficult motions, but also because he was enjoying himself as he did so. She wasn't sure how much time passed before he finally managed to complete the routine, but in the end, they came together to give each other a high five, laughing as they went.

"Congratulations, Shay Cormac! You are officially the first person of your time to learn hip-hop," Tia jokingly stated, applauding him with a fast series of claps.

He played along with a bow and chuckled. "I'm not nearly as good as you, though—"

The door to the cabin was suddenly thrown open and Liam walked in, looking around in suspicion. He took note of the shifted furniture, and cocked his towards them, his brows raised in question. "What on _earth_ are you two doing up here?"

"We're dancing, Liam!" They both exclaimed simultaneously, throwing each other surprised glances right after.

"I just taught him how to do some hip-hop," Tia explained, trying to smooth out her long hair which had gotten messy during their session. "You should've seen him go!"

"Aye, it's fun. You should try it some time, Liam!"

"Yeah, well, can you finish it up already?" Liam grumbled, declining the invitation with a shake of his head. "It sounds like you two are doing some other kind of dancing and the crew's startin' to get rowdy, making all kinds of bets."

Shay burst into laughter and Liam left with that, closing the door none too gently behind him. Tia covered her mouth in embarrassment, her face threatening to heat up at the insinuation. "Oh my god…"

"Look at it on the bright side," Shay began, his face reddened from all the laughing. He was currently holding himself up by leaning against the table, little chuckles still escaping his lips every now and then. "We finally got the damned lesson out of the way. It's almost been a year since we agreed to do it."

She sat on the chair and wrapped the blanket around herself again. "I guess so."

"Oh, come on, Tia!" Shay said, patting her on the arm. "You've got to admit, it _is_ a little funny." When she didn't react, he leaned closer, smirking. "Don't try to hide it, I can tell you want to laugh."

Tia gently whacked him on the chest before bursting out into a fit of giggles.

* * *

 **A/N: Chapter 23 down, woohoo! I'm on a roll with writing this month, I'm so happy. This chapter marks the third update in less the two weeks, so hopefully I can keep this stroke of luck going (shut up, Shay) and finish up another couple of chapters before it disappears. That way, I have a couple of chapters in advance even if I do stop writing for a bit—which will happen very soon because I'll be busy playing Origins! :D**

 **Anyways, I'll see you guys with the next update ;) (Which will be in a week to 2 weeks if I do manage to write it out. I wanna keep the updates even so I'm not leaving you guys hanging for 3 months again).**

 **One last thing XD:** _ **it's your last chance to vote on the poll before I close it next week, so go ahead and check it out at the top of my profile!**_

 **imakemyownblog x**


	24. Chapter 24

_**Warning: This chapter (and the next) will be very jumpy and a lot is going to happen, since I'm trying to speed things up through the dead spot in Rogue's narrative. Enjoy!**_

 **Only Time Will Tell - Chapter Twenty Four**

 _January, 1753_

"Yeah, hi, can I speak to Mark please?"

"This is he."

"Are you sure?"

"Yup, I'm pretty damn sure," he chuckled. "Long time, no see, chica."

Tia rubbed at her eyes and lifted the phone closer for better inspection. _This_ was her best friend? The boy on the screen—correction: this _man_ —was looking a lot different than she last remembered. Casually lounged on a white computer chair with a glass of lemon-lime bitters in one hand and his phone in the other, his top half was fully visible to the camera. He wore a dark grey t-shirt that did nothing to conceal the fact that he'd clearly been working out, and, of course, a short and tidy beard adorned his happy face, granting him with a more matured appearance. His dark hair remained the same, however, though it was a tad unkempt at the moment.

"Uh, _yeah_ , long time, no see! It's been ages!" She fell back onto the bed with a huff and propped her head up with a pillow. "You're lookin' good."

Flustered, he scratched at the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. "Thanks! I figured I needed to start taking better care of myself, so I've been hitting the gym and making my own meals instead of going to Macca's every two days."

"Yeah, I have no idea how you used to do that," Tia laughed, remembering that one time he decided to pay a visit to the popular fast food restaurant at almost one in the morning. She shook her head, "That was so bad, it was like a specialty of yours."

"Oi," he placed his half-empty glass down and slapped the desk, shaking the camera. "Their chicken nuggets are the bomb!"

She shrugged and rolled over onto her stomach. "Meh, I wouldn't know."

"You—," realization halted him in his tracks and his shoulders slumped. "Vegetarian. Right."

She giggled. "So, how've things been anyway? How's work?"

"Yeah, things've been good. A little hectic here and there with Chrissy and New Years gone by, but nothing I can't handle." He told her with a grin. That was another specialty of his. No matter how busy he was, he always managed to get by somehow.

"Of course," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Hey, you still haven't told me what that job of yours is..." she trailed off, her tone light and her eyes inquisitive.

"Oh, you know," Mark started with a non-committal wave of his hand, "It's just an IT job of sorts. Pays pretty well, and it's managed to get me out and about." He clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back.

Tia quirked a brow. "An IT job has you _out and about_?"

"Well… yeah."

"I don't get it."

"It's—" Mark began to explain but something off-camera caught his attention and he turned away, his mouth frozen mid-speech. It was silent for a few moments as they both listened, when a dark figure popped out behind Mark with a loud shout, startling him and causing him to knee the desk. The camera shook a little as he nursed his injury with a pained expression. " _Ah_ , fuck! What the hell?"

The newcomer's laughter took over the speakers and he put his hands up in defense, his figure coming into the light. "Hey, I called out to you multiple times! You had more than enough chances."

Mark delivered a half-hearted punch to the man's stomach and pulled him around so he shared the screen with him. "Tia, I'd like you to meet one of my colleagues, Marcus Holloway. Marcus, this is my best friend, Tia Ramirez."

Marcus was a young, dark-skinned man with a youthful sense of fashion; a black sweater underneath a navy blue bomber jacket, a hat with the word 'Dedsec' printed over the front—whatever that means—and black framed glasses. She raised a brow. Was that a face mask sitting around his neck?

"Ah, so _this_ is that girl you're always going on about," Marcus' tone was cheeky, and he blocked his stomach from taking another hit. He leaned down and waved to her. "It's a pleasure to virtually meet you!"

"The pleasure's all mine," she laughed, giving him the peace sign.

"I've heard a lot about you, you know!" He told her, jabbing an enthusiastic thumb in Mark's direction. "This one never stops going on about—"

Mark shoved him away before he could finish, " _Okay_ , man, time to go! I'll be down in a minute, alright?"

"Okay, okay! I see how it is," Marcus tittered as he caught himself, disappearing off the screen. Mark followed after him—to make sure he stayed away, she assumed.

"I like your glasses, Marcus!" Tia called out, hoping he could somehow hear her through their racket. She didn't know how loud the volume was on Mark's side.

"I appreciate your defined taste," was her muffled reply.

Mark returned to his chair with a sigh and dragged a hand over his face, "Sorry 'bout that. He's not usually that bad."

"He seemed fine to me." She laughed when he mimicked her in a whiny voice. "Hey, how's the family going? Did Skylar finally convince your parents to let her do dancing?"

"Yeah, actually. She's been taking hip-hop classes for few weeks now and she loves it!" He smiled a proud smile; one he kept reserved for his little sister. "She's pretty good at it, too!"

"I wish I could see her…"

Mark noticed the change in Tia's voice and quickly sought to cover it up. "Hey, I could record some of her dance routines for you, if you'd like. Oh, and I could try video calling you whenever you're free! I attend most of her classes anyway, so she'll be happy to have an extra guest," he leaned forward with an exaggerated wink to the camera, "- if you know what I mean."

She smiled. "That would be great. It was her birthday the other day, right?"

"Yeah, she's seven years old now! Can you believe that?"

"Bet that makes you feel old, huh?"

"Just a little. I mean, I even drive her to and from school now."

"Really?" Tia cocked her head in confusion. "What about your mum and dad?"

"They're not doing so hot right now. Their arguments are pretty nasty and it's hard to be in the same house, let alone the same room as them when all they want to do is tear each other apart." He furrowed his brows in thought, a faraway expression on his face. "I don't want lil Skye to deal with that, so I've taken on the role as her temporary parent while they sort their shit out. She's been staying with me for the past week and a half..."

Tia frowned and sat up. Mark's parents were having problems? Not to assume that every relationship is perfect, but they always seemed like the ideal couple, something you'd read about in a cheesy romance novel. That only proves that one can never truly know what happens behind closed doors.

"Well," she started, her brain buzzing around with words of advice. "They might be having their problems now, but don't let it get to your head. They just need some time to sort their shit out. In the meantime, the best thing you can do is to focus on keeping yourself and Skylar happy."

"Yeah, I guess so." He agreed, though he didn't sound fully convinced. "It would be so much easier if you were around. She loves you… we both do."

Tia bit the inside of her cheek. It didn't take a genius to pick up on the underlying message there; his skill sets clearly don't lie within the art of subtlety. It was a topic rarely discussed between the the two of them. She knew that it would come up eventually and that they'd have to face it, but not at a time like this. Not when it was over video chat, years apart from each other—quite literally.

That's certainly not to say she's disregarded the possibility of anything happening, but when one is forced into a situation like hers, it tends to slip from the mind a little. When she _was_ faced with those thoughts, however, the image of a certain male assassin would dance around in the back of her mind, all bright eyed and grinning that cheeky, yet awfully handsome grin of his, therefore denying her any further contemplation on the matter.

The sound of her best friend's deep voice snapped her out of her reverie. "Tia, I really—"

She closed her eyes, "Mark."

"Please, I really think we should—"

"Your timing couldn't be any worse..."

"But we've been sitting on it for so long, you and I both know that! It's not like I planned this! Look," he scooted his chair forward until he was directly in front of the camera, a pleading look in his cerulean eyes. "I only want to talk about it. I'm not saying anything needs to happen, I just—I can't keep it hiding it."

She placed the phone into her lap and leaned back against the headboard with a heavy sigh. "I guess you're right."

"Okay, good," he said shakily, the nerves clearly getting to him. He cleared his throat and shuffled in slightly in an attempt to calm himself down. It was an odd sight really, seeing him so nervous. "Tia, I really like you. I mean, this is probably old news to you 'cause we both know I'm not exactly the best at keeping secrets, but I do. A lot." He shifted again and dragged a sweaty hand through his hair. "I would be honored if you'd allow me to take you out for dinner. I mean, that's… when you get back, of course."

She pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger, her eyes remaining closed. "I don't know…"

"You don't have to answer me straight away, you're free to think about it." Someone began to knock a beat into Mark's door. "Alright, alright, I'm coming!" He called with a loud huff of annoyance, looking about ready to tear into the culprit once he had the opportunity. He turned his attention back to the screen for the last time, his tone apologetic, "I should probably go now. Seems like they can't survive without me down there."

She sat up and hung her legs over the edge of the bed, somewhat relieved that they were interrupted. "Alright. Talk later?"

"Sure thing. I'll call you when Skye has her next lesson on Monday." He smiled warmly, his hand hovering over the mouse, ready to hang up. "Goodnight, Tia."

"G'night, Mark."

* * *

 _February, 1753_

"Your effort today was less than satisfactory. Hopefully your spirits return to you come next week. Off you go, now."

Tia accepted Liam's harsh critique with nothing short of a disappointed frown. She knew she did terribly today, even more so than when she first started taking lessons with the him, but she just wasn't feeling it anymore. Not that she was really feeling it in the first place, but if it was necessary to keep going, if only to keep the assassins from harassing her about it, then she would do it. Unfortunately, fighting just wasn't her thing and she could see that the man was less than impressed with her lack of progress.

She bid him a quiet goodbye and left the training grounds as quickly as she could, trying her hardest to ignore the weight of the other trainees eyes as they followed her retreating form. There were a lot of them hanging around the homestead this week, she noted. Perhaps the Assassins had been recruiting recently?

Twenty minutes later and she was finally home, with nothing else in mind than to bathe and take a short afternoon nap. That was until she saw an unexpected visitor at the table. They looked up and she froze, unsure as to whether or not she should say hello or keep moving. The person tapped the chair beside them, inviting her to take a seat.

 _There's my answer,_ she thought, cautiously moving around the table to sit down. So much for taking a nap.

"When did you get home?" She asked after a few moments of staring at the grain of the table.

"I returned less than an hour ago," Hope answered, swirling the steaming contents of her cup around, before lifting it and taking a careful sip. "I want to talk about what happened in New York."

Tia glanced at the young woman's face. It was completely void of emotion—as one could expect from the female assassin—but the fact that she wanted to have this talk in the first place spoke a thousand words for her.

"I apologize for the way you discovered my occupation. I'm aware it must've come as a shock to you, but it is what it is." She began, gently placing her drink onto the table, keeping it cupped within her grasp. "As for the two men that were harassing you, they have been dealt with and will bother you no longer should you decide to visit New York again in the future."

"Thanks," Tia sighed, "but now that we're onto the topic of apologies, I suppose I also owe you an apology of my own. The way I acted was out of hand and I never should've gone about it so childishly, especially not in front of your," she paused to think of a suitable word, " _employees._ "

The scene she created would've made for a very interesting week of gossip amongst the gang members, that's for sure. Really, Tia should've expected something like that in their line of work, that much was true, but the way she found out—through an _outsider_ , no less—gave her all the more reason to become upset. She was tired of secrets, she'd said so many times, but she had to accept that that was how it was with the Assassins. She never should've discovered their true identities in the first place.

Hope shrugged nonchalantly, and confidently stated, "Hm, they know their place with me."

The corners of Tia's mouth tilted upwards as she held back a laugh. "I don't doubt that for a second."

"Of course," the female assassin agreed with the beginnings of a smirk.

Tia's amusement was cut short as she finally registered a minor piece of Hope's apology. "Uh, about those two guys… what did you mean by _dealt_ with?" She inquired, almost scared to hear the answer.

"I dismissed them from their duties."

Tia visibly relaxed and mouthed 'oh my god'.

Hope regarded her with a raised brow, then moved to stand up. "Feel free to wash up and I'll prepare dinner for us."

* * *

 _March, 1753_

Tia basked in the warmth of the campfire as it's flames danced around with the wind, producing soft crackling sounds just barely audible through the chatter and boisterous laughter of the several sailors she'd joined tonight. On her right was Matt, whom was currently drawn to whatever tale his crewmates were vehemently boasting about, while Ian sat to her right, expertly slicing various fruits into quarters for Tia and the rest of the men to munch on as a post-supper snack. Once he was done, he offered her first serve since he knew the other men were likely to scoff it down in record time despite the fact that they'd eaten already.

"Thanks," she beamed, picking what looked like the juiciest slice of watermelon and two bits of apple. She happily munched away as the rest of the fruit began to disappear into eager hands and bellies, showing that everyone appreciated the old red-headed sailor's efforts.

"So, Chacha," Ian began, and Tia giggled at his (constant) incorrect pronunciation of her nickname, "anything else of interest been happenin' in that life o' yours? I swear, you've not changed even the slightest since I last laid eyes on ya!"

"Oh," she waved a hand and quickly swallowed the rest of her apple down, "nothing that interesting, trust me." That's a lie. "My job's come and gone, I've travelled to New York a handful of times, made a couple of friends—and not-so-friends—… yeah, that's about it, really."

"Ah, come now, girlie!" He nudged her arm knowingly, trying to ease her into becoming more comfortable with him. "Surely there's _something_ noteworthy goin' on! You're young and you're pretty, both fairly attractive qualities in a world like ours."

It didn't take long for her brain to finally click with what he was getting at. _Oh._ She fought to keep the surprised expression off her face, not wanting to give away anything to the man just yet. Sure, they'd been sitting here for almost three hours, catching up and sharing stories about the past year of their lives, but this was something a little too personal… wasn't it?

To her dismay, Matt's attention was now directed at her as well. He perked up, "I agree with the old man! I find it hard to believe that you haven't garnered any attention looking the way you do," he waved his hand at her head, "all bright-eyed and purply-haired."

"Oh, so you two are ganging up on me now? I see how it is," she accused, her eyes darting between them in mock betrayal. She scoffed a laugh, and continued, " In all honesty, no, I haven't _'garnered'_ any attention from anyone. Not like that, anyway."

Ian looked genuinely surprised at this, "No permissions to court?" He inquired. A shake of her head. "No letters of admiration?" Another shake. "Hell, not even any eager hands?"

"What? No!" Tia denied, her face heating up at the insinuation. "I don't know what kind of life you guys think I'm supposed to be living, but none of that's ever happened." She exclaimed. She rolled her eyes when they blinked at her. "But, _yes_ , I may or may not fancy a particular someone—I'm not going into any details!"

The rest of the night was spent bickering back and forth with the duo as they continued to pester her about the mystery man she was interested in. She thought it was a little strange that they were venturing into the topic of her love life, but she guessed they'd already covered everything else before this, so perhaps it wasn't as strange as she initially thought. One thing was for sure though: no way in hell was she indulging them with her answer.

* * *

 _April, 1753_

Tia watched blankly as shadows flickered slowly along the wall, the single candle on the dressing table being the only thing she could focus on for the past few hours. It wasn't too long ago that she was speaking with Mark, though this time it was not on pleasant terms. He'd faithfully delivered the unsettling news that he'd spied suspicious individuals entering her house on several occasions—and provided proof.

The news was both alarming and confusing, and she had no clue what to do now that she withheld this information. When she'd asked him how he'd discovered these things, he merely brushed it off as having ' _useful connections'_ , which only added more questions to her plate. What were those people doing breaking into her family home and what business did they have with them that they had to do it more than once? Was it because of these very people that her parents have vanished off the face of the earth, nowhere to be seen?

It was because of those dark thoughts that she ended the conversation rather abruptly, but Mark probably expected as much since he rolled with it and promised to call her as soon as he was off work again. She smiled weakly at him, already knowing that she wasn't going to answer when the time came. She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't even want to _think_ about it, and yet here she was, doing exactly that.

The knock that came on her door failed to pull her attention away, and Hope walked in slowly, trying to discern whether the girl was awake or not. The room was bathed in darkness, save for that one small candle on the opposite side of the room, making it difficult for her to see properly.

"I made some soup," she announced, figuring that it didn't matter if Tia was asleep or not. "You should come eat."

"I'm not hungry."

Hope frowned. She was about to leave, but seemed to think better of it and turned back around with her arms folded in front of her. "Are you alright, Tia?"

Tia finally looked down at her hands that were rested upon the soft blankets—it was too dark to actually see them, but the outline was there. "I'm fine," she replied.

"Alright, well… I'll leave some food on the counter for you if you decide to come out."

"Thanks," Tia whispered after the woman had already left.

* * *

 _May, 1753_

Tia's stomach churned as the ship rocked with a particularly strong wave—or, at least, that's what it felt like to her right this moment. She wanted to be back on flat land more than anything, and she inwardly scolded herself for accepting Shay's offer to join him on a short three-day voyage. Curse her need to—

"You gonna eat that?"

She saw a fork pointing towards her food, and she shrugged, "You can have it if you want."

"That's not what I meant," he frowned, finishing up with his own plate of food. He put his utensils down and wiped a hand over his chin in thought. "You've barely eaten anything."

"I'm not hungry."

"You've been saying that an awful lot, y'know." When she didn't reply, he continued. "What's goin' on?"

 _My parents, my best friend, this place, the book, the Assassins... you_ —except she wouldn't dare say that last part aloud. Instead, she settled with "I'm just tired", which was true. Over the past month, she had developed a restless sleeping pattern that only worsened as time went on, sometimes leaving her with as little as four hours of broken sleep a night.

"Aye, but that's not it, is it? You haven't been yourself, lass, and everyone can see that."

"I don't _care_ what everyone else can see, so how about they do themselves a favour and mind their own goddamn business!" She snapped, her voice wavering towards the end.

"Hey..."

She slumped and dropped her head into her hands, her long hair shielding her face from his view. He breathed a sigh through his nose and reached out to the pitcher across the table, pouring some water into an empty cup for her, when the cabin was suddenly filled with small sniffling sounds. His eyes grew wide. Was she crying?

He immediately stood up and rounded the desk, the cup of water quickly forgotten. He placed a hand over her shoulder and knelt down beside her chair, his dark eyes full of concern, when, all of a sudden, he was engulfed in a tight embrace that nearly knocked him backwards. Thanks to his quick reflexes, he was able to catch himself, and safely lowered the two of them to the floor.

She buried her face into his neck and wrapped her arms securely around his broad shoulders, fingers curling tightly into the fabric there. "I miss them so m-much," she wept, sounding utterly heartbroken. Hot tears streamed down her face and she moved back only slightly so she could wipe her eyes. "I d-don't even care where I am now, I just want them back!"

He gently pushed her away to get a proper look and his frown deepened at the state of her distress. He gently reached up to tuck her messy hair behind her ears and out of her face, before using the pads of his thumbs to wipe away the wetness across her cheeks. "It's alright, Tia, I'm here," he pulled her in for another hug and tucked her head under his chin.

"I'm here."

* * *

 **A/N: There you are, chapter twenty-four, finally done! I know, I know, I promised I'd update before Christmas, but a lot happened and a lot is** _ **still**_ **happening, so yeah *sweat drop* however, I do hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! It's a bit dark and all over the place (lol, my bad), but I feel like it's important to outline Tia's growing depression and how she's coping with it.**

 **Anyways, I hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas & New Years, and I hope y'all make your own luck! As always, read & review—it really helps—and I'll see ya on the next update ;)**

 **imakemyownblog x**


	25. Chapter 25

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter Twenty Five**

Tia's breath appeared in white puffs as she struggled her way up the hill. It was late January; the snow had picked right up and was thick up to her shins, making navigation difficult, especially with heavy baskets filled to the brim with food. Delayed breathing to her right told her that her friend, Jennie, was faring no better than she was in this bad weather. Then again, the woman was over thirty years older than her.

The news of Abigail and young Connor falling gravely ill had spread around the homestead like wildfire, leaving everyone speechless. It wasn't too much of a surprise considering how tough times could get during the winter, but it didn't make it any easier to deal with. The mentor hadn't said a word about it—in fact, you would be lucky to get a word out of him at all these days—but the frequent visits from the family doctor was enough to go by (and, of course, an impromptu interrogation session with some nosey assassins, but you didn't hear it from them).

As expected, the unfortunate news had spiked alarm throughout the small population. What were they sick with? How did they get sick? And most importantly, was it contagious? No one knew much of anything except for the fact that their conditions were not improving. Poor Achilles was stressed out to the max, and Tia's heart went out to him. That was when she teamed up with Jennie to be in charge of their food supply so they could focus on getting better. The baskets mostly consisted of fruits and vegetables—hand-picked and washed by yours truly—and then there were some other assorted goods inside like strawberry jam and freshly baked bread.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Tia asked sadly as the ground started to level out again. The snow was down to their ankles now.

"They're strong individuals—some of the strongest that I've met in all my life, to be quite honest. You wouldn't believe some of the stories I've heard about Abigail. And Connor? I babysit the boy quite often. Tough as a nut, that one, but..." Jennie hesitated.

"But you don't think they'll recover?"

"No, I don't..." A frown marred Jennie's face, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

Tia met the woman's hazel eyes with her own, a sickening feeling twisting at her gut. She'd only met the two Davenport's a handful of times, all very brief, but it was enough to know that they were lovely people who deserved much better than this. The world was a cruel place when it wanted to be...

They arrived on the front porch, the feeling of uncertainty settling between them like stale air. It was always like this when they arrived, ready to hand over fresh food to the family—this was only the second time, mind you, but it still left them feeling empty afterwards.

Jennie had to knock on the door twice before someone answered, the door being swung open with so much haste that Tia flinched backwards in surprise. In front of them stood a disgruntled Achilles, in casual clothing rather than his usual Assassin get-up. His eye bags were very prominent, telling them just how much sleep he had gotten recently.

"Special delivery?" Tia said, lifting her basket in the air and wondering if it would be too much to smile in a situation like this. She went ahead and gave him a small one anyway.

"Oh, yes," he scratched his head. "I almost forgot what day it was. Forgive me."

Jennie immediately went to reassure him, "Not to worry, dear." She waved him back inside and nudged him in the direction of the stairs. "Go on back to your family now. Tia and I will leave these in the kitchen for you."

"Thank you," he said, visibly relaxing.

They said nothing more, but it mattered little for Achilles was already gone by the time they'd placed their baskets onto the kitchen table. The kitchen was a mess, and Jennie clicked her tongue with worry. They shared a look and got to work.

* * *

Tia exhaled a heavy sigh as she closed the front door behind her, thankful to be out of the cold once and for all. She was drained from an entire day's work and wished for nothing more than to get out of these clothes, and huddle up with her music and a ton of warm blankets.

As she was slipping into her long-sleeved nightgown, it finally occurred to her that it was unusually warm for a house that had been empty all day. Puzzled, she ventured out into the living room, only to find Shay lounging around on the chaise in front of the lit fireplace, a fire poker in hand. Well, that explains it. He turned around and acknowledged her with a smile. She could've sworn his eyes had wandered for the slightest of moments, but they were so quick to return to her face that she couldn't be sure. The lighting in here wasn't very bright to begin with anyway.

She moved closer, her sock-covered feet padding gently along the wooden flooring. She sat down beside him, leaving a reasonable amount of space between them. "Breaking and entering isn't very flattering, you know," she jested, nudging his arm with her elbow.

He chuckled, his shoulders shaking slightly with the gesture. "Well, I waited for you, but I was freezin' my arse off out there!"

"Yeah well, if I'd have known you were coming over, I would've made an effort to come home quicker," she told him with a scoff. "Speaking of which, is there any particular reason you're here? I thought you were heading out early tomorrow on another mission."

"I am," he confirmed, turning back to the fire in order to poke it around a little more, before setting the tool aside. "I just needed a breath of fresh air."

If Tia was cold before, then there was no trace of it now as a familiar warmth began to spread through her cheeks. He was quick to continue though, his tone growing more and more irritated as he spoke.

"It's been months since we began searchin' for these damned artefacts and there's still nothin' to show for it—and that's if you don't count all the injured men or damages done to the ship! Don't get me wrong, I love bein' out at sea as much as the next sailor, but I just wish it wasn't for this," he threw his hands up in the air, "- this wild goose chase! You know, sometimes I really don't—"

"Why are you here?"

Confused, he furrowed his dark brows at her. "What?"

"Why are you _here_ —with the Assassins?" she reiterated, looking directly into his eyes now, searching their dark depths for answers. She went on, albeit carefully in case she says something she shouldn't, "Looks to me like you're more frustrated by them than anything. Why stay?"

His mouth hung open slightly as he held her gaze, and she could almost picture the gears turning in his head as he thought about it. She knew he was trying to think of the best way to answer without making it seem like it was a big deal, but it clearly was or else he wouldn't be complaining in the first place. He finally broke the eye contact and admitted in a low voice, "They took me in when I had nowhere else to go."

She nodded slowly, "I see…"

So, he felt some sort of obligation to the Assassins for taking him in, then? Did that mean Shay was homeless before all this? Where were his parents, or any other family members; aunties, uncles, grandparents? Surely they didn't let him fend for himself out on the streets… right? Tia found herself unable to picture it. She herself had such a loving upbringing with both parents present in her life. She didn't know any different from that. These simple questions were enough to make her realize that she really knew nothing about this man. The thought was strange, almost.

"I'm just sayin' it seems like all we're doin' these days is chasin' after a foggy dream instead of actually helpin' the world like we claim to be." He sighed—sounding tired or disappointed, she didn't know, but she didn't like it.

She placed a comforting hand on his forearm and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Well, who knows? Maybe you could be the one to change all that."

He scoffed, "Not likely. As far as they're concerned, I'm still a lowly subordinate in need of supervision."

"Wait—are you talking about Liam?" She asked, incredulous. "He's your best friend, of course he'd be looking out for you!"

"There's a big difference between looking out for a friend and being told to make sure I'm not messin' up somehow."

"Wow..." She slumped her shoulders, falling back into the soft pillows with a huff. "You're just a lovely ball of optimism, aren't you?"

"I pride myself on it."

He mimicked her action and fell alongside her with a barely suppressed yawn. It was hard to ignore the close proximity, their arms a mere inch away from brushing up against one another. The temptation to simply close the gap and lean into him was overwhelming, and she anxiously began to fidget again, this time focusing her attention on her nails. They were getting pretty long, she noticed. They'd need a trim soon.

Silence had taken over the room and, much to her dismay, it didn't take long for her mind to begin wandering again, the main topic being the man right next to her, of course. It didn't help that the more sensual side of her brain had been particularly active as of late, and it was starting to become a real problem. Half the time, she couldn't even look at him without thinking of something borderline inappropriate; his ego would skyrocket if he found out. How could she be thinking these sorts of things about him already?

She snapped herself out of it, and quickly sought to spark up another conversation before anymore of those thoughts could formulate. "So, how did you become friends with Liam?" The sound of her voice, however soft it may have been, made him jerk a little. She hadn't realized he was on the brink of sleep. "Oh shit, sorry…"

"Don't worry about it, lass," he reassured her with a breathy chuckle. "It's been a long day and this chair is very comfy, that's all. You were you saying?"

"It doesn't matter," she waved the matter off with an awkward smile, moving to stand up. "If you're tired, I can grab some blankets for you so you can go to sleep—"

"No, no," Shay sat up as well, his knee gently bumping hers as he turned to face her. If he noticed how close they were, he made no move to change it. Instead, he continued, his voice soft, "I like this—talking with you, I mean. It's nice…"

"Are you sure? You don't have to stay awake because of me," she told him, purposely ignoring that last part. She needed to move. Now. She gave him a nonchalant shrug and got up, taking a precautionary step away from him as she did so, "I'm gonna be up for a while anyway. I'm hungry and in need of some music."

"Do you need a hand, then?"

She shook her head, almost a little too enthusiastically, "No, it's fine! Really. I'll get those blankets for you…"

She scurried away and disappeared down the hallway before he could reply, heading straight for Hope's room to steal the blankets off her bed. With the blankets now in hand, she was just about to pass her own room. She paused at the door, seeming to think twice about giving him these blankets. She knew it was weird, but she gave them a quick whiff and, sure enough, they smelt faintly of the female assassin. Mind now made up, she tossed them aside and stripped the ones off of her bed instead.

Shay's lips quirked up slightly as she appeared around the corner, completely oblivious to the war going on inside her head. He had stripped himself free of his boots and jacket, leaving them on the floor by the chaise, along with his other equipment. "Thank you," he said gratefully, the tips of his fingers brushing across hers as he took the big bundle from her.

"Y-yeah…" she muttered.

Tonight was going to be a long night.

* * *

A week passed by, and still no good news emerged from the Davenport manor. In fact, the very grounds outside the manor had become a sort of quarantine zone; anyone who passed through the invisible line other than the doctor was scolded. It was disheartening, to say in the least. Tia honestly thought their conditions would improve, not decline. Not that she knew for sure, but she still hoped.

She wished she had someone to talk to. Shay was great company and all, but sometimes she just needed another female presence. Someone less distracting, someone she can talk to without her hands becoming all clammy and sweaty. Normally, she would pay Jennie a visit since she was practically next door, but the middle-aged woman was off visiting her eldest son in Boston. His wife was expecting at any moment now and Jennie claimed she wanted to be present during the birth, no matter how much it pained her to leave the homestead behind in this state.

She had given a folded letter to Tia, her eyes sad. " _Just in case,"_ she'd said. " _I'll be back in three weeks time."_

Tia frowned, but took it anyway, promising to give it to Achilles in her stead should anything happen to his family while she was away. That was four days ago now, and she was driving herself crazy eyeing the damn thing as it sat innocently on the kitchen table, just waiting to be handed over to its recipient. She eventually hid it underneath a book. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

The next day, Tia found herself using one of her bedroom walls to lean on as she pushed herself up into a handstand position. The room looked odd upside down and she knew she was going to regret this later, but if it sated her boredom for a while, then so be it.

Her earphones hung loosely in her ears and she hummed along to the loud music that came through. She was originally waiting for a call from Mark, but he was late and she had a feeling he was too busy for it anyway considering his schedule was already super tight with work and Skylar. School would be starting up for her soon and he was busy running around trying to get everything together, his parents being too busy to do so themselves. If Tia was there, she would've helped out for sure.

"Now would be a great time to go back home, eh?" She muttered softly to herself, changing the song to a more upbeat one.

She held her position for a while longer, before finally deciding to get dressed into something more eighteenth century appropriate. That, and her harem pants and crop top would do little to protect her from the cold. Once in a fresh dress, she threw on her boots and gloves, and headed outside. The weather had cleared up a bit, leaving wide spots of blue sky to peek through the fluffy clouds. It was a welcome change from the bad weather they'd been having recently; almost always having to stay inside because it was way too cold to do anything else. She almost missed the heat of an Australian summer. _Almost_.

She made her way to the training grounds, both in search of someone familiar to talk to and because it was as close to the manor that she could get without being told to head the other way. She understood that there was a risk of catching whatever disease they had, but wasn't this distance a little too extreme? They were inside the manor at all times anyway, right? She never voiced her opinion on the matter though. She knew it would get her nowhere—not with how pedantic everyone was over sicknesses these days.

A man in familiar garb was present at the training grounds along with a handful of others she'd never seen before. He turned around to acknowledge her with a silent nod, his expression remaining neutral as always. His countenance used to intimidate her (and it still kind of does from time to time) but she was used to it by now, especially after the one on one session they had together where he'd taught her the basics of crafting a simple set of leather belts.

"Hey, Kesegowaase," she mentally pat herself on the head for pronunciation, "How are ya?"

"I am well, thank you," he replied, setting a teacup over the fire. "And you?"

She shrugged, walking over to the fence so she could lean on it with her arms, "Could be better, this weather is a bit too chilly for me... Hey, do you know when Chevalier will be back?"

"I'm afraid not, no. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, just wondering. He's been gone for a while, that's all. I kinda miss the guy, even if he is an old grump." This prompted the native's man's lips to curl upwards slightly in a grin, and she giggled. "So, what're you up to here? You teaching?"

The training dummies were currently in the process of being set up and checked over by the students, their excitement for today's lesson being made obvious by their animated swapping of conversation. It worried her that they were getting excited over being trained in the art of killing, but Tia kept that opinion to herself. There were too many of them around and she knew they wouldn't appreciate it.

"Yes," the Native man replied, grabbing a rucksack from the floor and seating himself on an old tree stump a few paces away. He opened it and carefully reached inside. "We are working with throwing knives today. You're welcome to join us if you'd like," he offered, pulling out one of the said weapons and inspecting it.

"Oh, thanks for the offer, but, uh, no thanks," she shook her head and took a step back. "I'll leave that to the professionals."

He shrugged, "Suit yourself."

She bid him goodbye and slowly walked back the way she came, deciding it would be better to stay away from this side of the homestead if they were training today. Ever since the incident in New York with her bodyguard, Eric, she'd refused to train anymore; no hand-to-hand combat, no swords and certainly no pistols—though they never got around to teaching her any of that yet thanks to her reluctance to hold a gun.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. She did have _one_ last lesson with Liam, but her performance was so bad that she decided not to count it.

Little did anyone know, but Tia had also been setting aside some money after every job in hopes that she could move out and stop relying on the Assassins for survival. It certainly wasn't enough to get her her own place—not that she'd be able to secure one anyway, what with how young and _female_ she was—but it would be enough to last a few weeks, at least until she found another job. She'd actually been hoping there was enough room in Katherine's tailor shop for an extra employee. If not, then she'd have to settle for somewhere else, but it was still worth a try. She liked it there.

She came to the conclusion that she would leave once Jennie returned. Or maybe she should wait until Shay got back. She missed him already…

She was coming around the bend that lead straight back to the house when she heard the sound of crunching snow growing louder and louder, eventually accompanied by a horse's whinnies. The beautiful coppery-coloured steed came into view along with a tall man who sat atop it. Tia squinted, trying to get a better look at him underneath his hat. She caught sight of his dark hair flying around in the wind. Wasn't that the doctor?

"Hey," she called out eagerly before he could pass her, waving her hands in the air for him to stop. She stepped onto his path, "Hey, wait!"

He slowed down just in time to avoid crushing her with the large animal, and the irritation was evident on his face as he tried to calm it down. "Ma'am, please do be more careful! Horses are frightful animals, you could've been injured!"

"I know, I'm sorry," she apologized, a sheepish expression on her face. She moved back to give the animal some room and looked up to see the man's face properly now. He was quite young, she noticed. "You're the doctor, right?"

He sighed, "You're not going to interrogate me as well, are you? I already told your friends I'm not allowed to hand out information about my patients willy-nilly."

"What?" Her face scrunched up in confusion and, with a shake of her head, she said, "They're not my friends, okay? Look, I only want to know if they're alright, not every little detail about their diagnosis."

The man was skeptical, that much she could tell in the way he looked her up and down, before sweeping the surroundings in search of her so called 'friends'. With one last look, he sighed in resignation. "Very well. I've managed to stabilize the patient's conditions for now, but there's no telling what the future might bring. All we can do is hope for the best."

"Thank you, Doctor...?"

"Doctor Alvarez."

"Alvarez?" Tia's eyes lit up with excitement, "Are you from Spain?"

"I am," he affirmed with a raised brow, "I don't see what that has to do with—"

" **You don't see many Spanish people around here. I'm from Valencia, what about you?"**

" **Madrid. I never caught your name…"**

" **Tia Ramirez,"** she divulged, giving him a polite little curtsy. She didn't usually do that, but it was the least she could do after nearly toppling him off his horse.

" **I must admit this is quite the surprise. Your accent is…"** he trailed off.

She scoffed a laugh and folded her arms over her chest, " **Yeah, and? You sound British."**

" **That would be because I lived in London for seven years while I studied medicine,"** he explained proudly, his irritation from earlier seemingly forgotten.

" **And I'm going through an identity crisis. Anyway,"** she nodded her head in the direction of the manor, " **I better let you go. Thanks for that, by the way. It was a pleasure meeting you."**

" **The pleasure is all mine, Miss Ramirez."** He tipped his hat towards her in farewell and disappeared down the path as quickly as he came.

She smiled to herself as she continued the rest of the way home. It felt good to be able to speak Spanish again, even though in theory, there was nothing stopping her from speaking the language whenever she wanted. It wasn't the same when she was the only one who could speak it. It was a little strange on her tongue having not used it for such a long time, but it was enough to put her in good spirits for the rest of the day, that was for sure.

It was nearly sundown when she finally got a call back from her best friend, almost startling her into dropping her spoonful of vegetable soup. She licked her lips free of any food, before answering, "Hey, hey!"

"Chica, I have something to tell you!" He announced from the driver's seat of his car. A pair of black Ray-Bans covered his eyes, but he quickly took them off and tucked it onto his shirt before continuing, "Sorry 'bout the late call, by the way. This week has been absolutely insane…"

"No sweat, I understand. What's the news?"

"Okay so, I lied," he whipped up two fingers in front of the camera, " - there's actually two things I need to tell you. One: your girls, BLACKPINK, have finally gripped onto my heart so tight that I wanna die and come back to life again. And two: I managed to hack into your parents phone's for long enough to figure out that they disappeared on the exact same day as you."

Tia nearly spat her food over the table in shock. She hastily slapped a hand over her mouth and swallowed it down. "What the fuck, Mark?" She almost screamed, forgetting about her dinner altogether.

"Yeah, no problem, Tia—"

"How did you figure that out? And, _fucking shit_ , the exact same day?!"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down and I'll explain it to you, alright?" He watched her carefully as she held a hand to her chest and took some deep breaths. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, just keep going…"

Mark checked on her one more time before delving into the details. Apparently, he'd been trying to hack their phones for a while now, but only managed to get into them last night because of how difficult it was—something about a "massive-ass firewall". She didn't understand half of what he was saying because it was all computer tech talk, plus she was still a little shocked, but she nodded along anyway, grateful that he was even doing this for her in the first place.

"All activity stopped around late morning at the exact same time—eleven twenty-two, to be more precise—and it matched up to the activity on your phone. You know, I didn't realize it before, but your phone is technically non-existent."

"But I've still been using it."

"Yeah, but your tracks are nowhere to be found. I'm assuming it has something to do with the whole time travel deal, which makes sense," he paused and shook his head. "Actually, that makes no fucking sense whatsoever, but it's all we've got. Whatever! All I'm saying is, is that—"

"My parents might be here with me…" Tia breathed, putting two and two together before he could finish. "Oh my god, Mark, my parents! I have to look for them, they could be here! Oh god, where do I even start? They could be anywhere!"

"I mean, do they have detectives in the eighteenth century? I don't know shit about that time period, but surely they have detectives…" he trailed off, clearly losing himself in his thoughts. A knock sounded on his window and his head shot up in surprise. Winding it down, he retrieved a paper bag full of fast food and thanked whoever it was that handed it to him. "Thanks, man!"

"Couldn't resist, huh?" Tia said, amused by the guilty look on his face. "How long was it this time?"

Mark pouted, munching away on some fries. "Three weeks, Mum."

Tia burst out into a fit of giggles, feeling happier than she had in a long time and yet, for some reason, she felt the strong urge to cry. She blinked the tears back, however, and gave him a wide smile. "I don't know how to thank you for this, Mark, really."

"Oh, dun ge' chee'i on me now. Juh be happ-ee, oh-righ?"

She nodded, somehow still being able to understand him through his food-talk. "Okay… I need to go now—process this shit and think about what I'm gonna do next."

He finally swallowed. "No worries, Tia. Have a good sleep tonight, yeah?"

"You too." She was about to hang up when she remembered something from earlier. "Oh, by the way..."

"Yeah?"

"Rosé's mine, bitch!" She yelled, referring to her favourite member of BLACKPINK.

Mark instantly fired up in his seat, chips flying everywhere, "Oh, _no way_ , bro, she's all mine—"

"First in, first served, my dude!" And with that, she hung up, bursting into another fit of giggles. Oh, the betrayal written in his expression was amazing...

* * *

 **A/N: HelloOOoooO, my dear readers! I hope you've enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I finally know where I'm going with this now, I've got it all wrapped into my head in a big messy plan, and y'all, do I have shit** _ **pLanNed**_ **\- we gettin' close to Lisbooooon! 'Scuse my lack of editing, by the way (I'll come back to it later). :DDDD**

 **Thank you so much to those who left reviews and favourited/followed, I really appreciate the love and support you guys have shown me, even when I disappeared for a few months. And, oh, the constructive criticism is just… *insert heart emoji* it really helps me out when I get those types of reviews, so thank you!**

 **Also, any Blinks (BLACKPINK fans) reading? Can't wait for their comeback, man, I'm pumped!**

 **Anyways, until next time, imakemyownblog x**


	26. Chapter 26

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter Twenty Six**

"Pretty please? I promise I'll stay out of the way!"

Liam remained completely unyielding to the pleads and pouts being sent his way as he continued to stroll along the deck, surveying the progress of The Morrigan's repairs. Not too far behind him was Tia, hunching over slightly as she followed him around, making quite the amusing scene for the crew to gaze upon—subtly, mind you. Being reprimanded so early in the morning was not on their to-do list for today.

"I can help the crew with chores," she persisted, nearly colliding face-first with his back when he stopped to direct some of the men. She noticed his eyes kept wandering along the shore and she sighed, already knowing what he was looking for—or _who_ he was looking for, she should say. "Hey!"

He side-eyed her, "I've work to do, Tia. We can discuss this later."

"Tch, yeah right," she scoffed, her arms folded across her chest indignantly. "You're probably just gonna avoid me until you guys head off again... and will you stop looking for Shay? I know what you're trying to do!"

"Why don't you go bother him, then?"

"Because I know he'd say yes!"

"Would he just?"

"I mean…" she trailed off. She wasn't so sure now. "Just—oh, come on, Liam!"

" _Later_ ," he emphasized, sending her a pointed look over his shoulder. He was starting to get irritated.

She huffed in resignation and finally backed off to let the man resume his work in peace. As much as she wanted to keep nagging, it would only result in an outright refusal of her request and a pissed off assassin, neither of which were desirable. The only reason she continued to push was so she could leave this place behind. The unease was too much for her, especially after the unfortunate passing of Abigail and Connor.

By the time March swung around for it's annual visit, their conditions had declined to the point that there was nothing left for them except to let nature take its course. It was quick, quiet and, most of all, private. Achilles had their bodies buried at the top of the hill, selecting only a handful of his men to give him a hand in the physically—and emotionally—demanding task. She couldn't imagine how hard that would've been.

That was less than a week ago now, and the brotherhood's activities were still in full swing, lead by none other than the dedicated mentor who refused to take time off, even if it was to mourn. Instead, he bristled silently, allowing his anger to consume him rather than sadness. It was unsettling.

Tia remembered how uncomfortable she was when she handed Jennie's letter to him. The woman ended up staying behind in Boston for a few more weeks because her son had gotten sick, and so Tia followed through on her promise to give Achilles the letter in her stead. He'd snatched it from her, barely even bothering to thank her or make eye contact with her. She didn't stick around any longer than she had to after that. She hightailed it out of there as soon as the parchment left her grip. If that man snapped at anyone, it certainly wasn't going to be at her.

It was time for her to get a move on.

She was hoping Shay could make a tiny detour in his trip, just enough to drop her off in New York and be on her merry way. She'd sent out a letter beforehand informing Katherine that she would be visiting the tailor shop in the near future to discuss an important matter. Hopefully, by that time, she will have secured a job for herself and she wouldn't need to come back to the homestead at all. All of her belongings were packed inside her backpack, ready to go. If only she could convince them to take her.

She decided to leave the ship and let the men do their work without her standing in the way, choosing to sit a few feet from the shore instead, plucking away at the small rocks and pebbles she spied in the sand. Footsteps approached her and she tilted her head back when a familiar voice hollered her name.

Shay smiled, "There you are, Tia. I was lookin' for ya!"

He offered her his hand and she accepted with a shy grin, slipping her hand into his. It was ungloved for once and she relished the feel of it; warm, calloused and manly, yet gentle as it held onto her own smaller, much softer one. "I stepped onto The Morrigan almost as soon as you left," she said, giving her dress a pat down to rid it of sand. "I was asking Liam something important."

He cocked his head in question, "Ah, really? What is it?"

She quickly weighed her options. If she asked him now, she could get it done and over with. If she left it until later, however, Liam would most likely get to him first and give him a million reasons on why she shouldn't be allowed to come. Well, then...

"Mind if I tag along when you guys leave?"

He regarded her with a bemused look, "I thought you didn't like sailing."

"Well, you're not wrong," she confirmed as she rocked on the balls of her feet, trying to keep herself together as he paid his utmost attention to her with those wonderful, dark eyes of his. She continued, "But, Hope's never home and I'm done being alone all the time. You can just leave me in New York on the way to your next mission—or on the way back, I don't mind. Actually, I do mind, but it's up to you. It is your ship, after all, hah… Please?"

She held a blink for longer than usual, mentally smacking herself on the forehead. _On ya, Tia. Way to give him a freaking mouthful..._

He didn't seem all that enthused by the idea, absently scratching his chin in thought. "I don't know, lass. A detour would only be possible on the way back since business is rather urgent this time 'round, and we need to make haste, which then means you'd have to stay onboard while we complete our mission. That could get pretty dangerous."

She shrugged, "I could just hide away in your cabin." _And die of a heart attack, but I can deal._

"I don't know," he muttered, still not fully convinced. "We have to leave as soon as the repairs are done and—"

"Great, I'm ready to go when you are!" She exclaimed, giving him her sweetest smile. He was way more susceptible to her than Liam was.

He was about to open his mouth in reply, but his first mate beat him to it, joining them with a less than impressed gaze set upon Tia's sheepish expression. "I see you've already tried your hand at convincing the captain," he stated simply, already knowing he was right.

Shay looked between the two with a raised brow. "Aye, I was just about to tell her—"

"That I'm more than welcome to come along if I promise to be good and listen," she interjected once more, sending another one of her sweetest smiles his way. "Right, Shay?"

If there was an opportunity to reunite with parents again, it certainly wasn't going to be found here at the homestead. New York would be the best place to start.

He complied, "Right."

If Liam wasn't giving her an eyeful, she probably would've exhaled a sigh of relief. She couldn't believe that actually worked! Though, judging by the way younger Irishman was looking at her, she certainly wasn't going to get away with it that easily.

Liam motioned for Shay to follow him as he stood off to the side. The two of them began mumbling under their breaths to each other, one more firmly than the other, and Tia tried to keep a straight face as they continued to sneak glances at her. Liam eventually departed with one last shake of his head, and Shay turned around.

"I hope you know what you just did, lass," he said, reaching up to muss his hair a little, clearly bothered. "Now, I've got a moody first mate to deal with for the rest of the day..."

"Sorry," she squeaked, glancing up at him apologetically. "I just really need to do this."

"Why the urgency?"

"Special reasons I'd like to keep to myself, thank you." He gave her a look and she made a sound of incredulity, raising her arms in challenge. "What? I'm not allowed to be secretive, too?"

He shook his head. "Whatever, lass. You owe me one."

"Hey, what?" She scurried after him as he began to walk off. "I thought I was paying you back through chores, what do you mean I owe you one?" Her only answer was a less-than-subtle wink. She slowed down, a gobsmacked expression on her face. "Asshole…"

* * *

Tia was seated in the captain's cabin that same night, a triumphant grin on her face as she scrolled through a list of games on her phone. They were about to set sail and she was more than ready to get this show on the road, to conquer this new chapter in her life. Speaking of which, she still hadn't told anyone of her plans yet. She was worried they wouldn't see it her way and perhaps even go so far as to make her stay—but she couldn't.

If not for herself, then for her parents.

Shay was ever so chivalrous when she'd returned to the ship later that afternoon and had insisted he carry her backpack onboard for her, much to her dismay. Her bag was heavier than normal, of course, filled to the brim with all of her belongings, and she'd handed it off to him as nonchalantly as she could manage, her eyes darting everywhere else but at him. The almost burning sensation on the back of her neck was enough to tell her that she would be under his scrutiny for the course of the voyage.

"You're shitting me!" Tia whined, kicking the edge of the desk in annoyance as she was presented with the words 'game over'. She was so close to beating her high score on Stack when a sneeze forced itself out of her body, causing her to lose concentration and nearly drop her phone. "Challenge accepted," she mumbled, restarting a new game.

She barely glanced up as Shay entered the cabin with a bunch of scrolls tucked underneath his arm, lowering them onto the desk she was seated at. He wasn't surprised to find that she'd already made herself comfortable, and leaned over to peek at what she was doing. "Whatcha got there?"

She shushed him, focusing her full attention on the colourful squares floating across the screen. One moment she was tapping away with her finger and the next she was staring at thin air as the phone was snatched away from her, deep melodic chuckles resonating throughout the cabin. Shay pocketed the device and went about sorting the new scrolls into piles across the expanse of his desk, not at all worried about the glare being directed towards him.

Tia stood up slowly. "Give that back."

He inspected a particularly old scroll, before carefully placing it on the pile furthest from him.

"Shay…"

The next one was newer and in much better condition. He placed it on a seperate pile.

"Give it to me!"

The beginnings of a smirk curled at his lips, "Oh, I'll give it to you—"

That was the final straw. She jumped onto his back with a cry, her weight immediately toppling him into the desk. He barely had any time to steady himself as her hands snuck their way into his jacket, feeling around for the inner breast pocket where her phone lie safely tucked away. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was very much appreciating the feel of his firm chest beneath her fingertips, but she hastily shook the thought away.

Forgetting the scrolls, Shay quickly recovered and snatched up her wrists, wrestling them back with a startled grunt. Using the awkward angle to her advantage, she wriggled one of her hands out of his grip while keeping him distracted with the other so she could reach in again, this time clinging to his shirt before he could pull it out again.

Something of a chuckle escaped his lips. "Did you really think it would be that easy?"

"Aha!" She yanked out her phone with a victorious cheer, "I'm sorry, what was that?"

The next moment was a blur as she was hurled over his shoulder, landing softly on the bed with an involuntary squeak of surprise. Disoriented, she barely even noticed when the weight of her phone was once again missing from her hand. Only when Shay's face reappeared in her line of sight—upside down and grinning like he just solved world hunger—did she shoot up into a cross-legged position.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" He repeated mockingly, tucking the phone away for the second time.

Knowing it was no use, she huffed and leaned back on her palms. "Ugh, you're so annoying sometimes, you know that?"

"I might've been told once or twice."

"Once or twice, my ass," she muttered, tilting her head to the side. "What're _you_ gonna do with my phone anyway? You don't even know how to use it."

"You showed me, remember?"

She scoffed, "I showed you how to turn it on and take a selfie, sure, but that's about it. Besides, there's a passcode only I can activate so good luck with that."

"I make my own luck," he said, situating himself at the desk to get some work done.

She continued to watch him as he sifted through the rest of the scrolls—organizing them by how useful or old they were, she had no idea, but the entertainment was quick to die down and her eyes began to wander. Now that she thought about it, he really did have a lot of books in here. Stacked up in a disorderly fashion, they lined the shelves along the side of his bed, and several more sat atop the built-in benches along the back wall. She grabbed the one closest to her: ' _Robinson Crusoe'_ by Daniel Defoe.

 _Huh,_ she sent him a curious glance, _didn't strike me as a reader..._

She liked reading from time to time as well, but his collection was way more plentiful than hers. Mind you, most of the time she'd find stories to read online rather than actual books, so who knows, maybe her collection could be just as big if she counted those.

She observed more of his collection with mild interest, the majority of them being books on adventures, biographies or something nautical. Her preferred genres were romances or thrillers, and sometimes even spiritual when she was feeling particularly open minded, but he didn't appear to have any of those. Disappointing.

"Shaaay," she whined, falling back onto the bed. "I'm bored, gimme my phone!"

He replied without taking his attention away from the task at hand. "You shouldn't depend on that thing so much, lass. It can't be good for you."

She snorted, "What would you know?"

"I just know what addiction looks like."

"You talking from experience?"

"I am, actually."

Tia paused, lifting her head a little to blink at him. He had paused as well, though she was having trouble discerning whether it was to think or if he simply regret his choice of words. He sighed and leaned back into his chair while running his hand over his face. "Sorry. It wasn't my intention to be... grim."

"No, no, it's fine." She assured him, sitting up again. "Did you want to talk about it?"

He smiled at her, a somber look in his eyes. "I appreciate the offer, but I'd rather let it be."

She frowned, not at all liking the air that had settled around him. He seemed sad, but there was something in him that ran a lot deeper than that. Come to think of it, she's never seen him discussing his own thoughts or problems before, not even to Liam. Sarcastic complaints here and there but nothing serious, and if it ever headed down that road, he was quick to divert it—like now, for example.

"Hey… you know you can talk to me, right? I really don't mind. I mean, I'm not sure you realize just how much you've helped me, so I can definitely do the same for you." She shrugged, "Everyone needs someone to lean on."

Shay's expression remained the same as he thanked her again, but his eyes were now masked with a completely different emotion, something she's seen before but couldn't make sense of. She could almost hear the gears turning in his head, and she coughed vaguely, feeling uncomfortable under his stare. He seemed to sense this and straightened up.

"Still bored?" He asked, continuing only when she nodded. "Want to help me organize these, then?"

Now it was her turn to smile. "Sure thing."

* * *

Weeks flew by and soon _The Morrigan_ was nearing her destination, sailing smoothly along the deep blue waters of the North Atlantic, the wind on her side. The men were in high spirits today, hollering and chanting as they sung their sea shanties loud enough that Tia could hear them clearly from the privacy of the captain's cabin as she washed herself down with a cloth. She hummed along as she got dressed, just barely noting the two voices that were conversing above her, battling to be heard over the noise of the crew.

Ah, soundproof walls were a thing of the future.

She finally pulled the door open, ready to face the day when Shay's next sentence made her backtrack into the cabin again, closing the door until only a crack remained for her to listen through. She pressed the side of her face into the wood.

"Where in the world has the most beautiful girls?" He asked, enthused, and she could almost imagine the playful glint in his eyes as he held steady at the helm.

Liam didn't seem to be thrown off by the topic and he replied sincerely, making it clear that he didn't favour any particular place. "I suppose it depends on your vision of beauty. A damsel from Corfu and one from Oslo are as different as chalk and cheese, but both can be lovely."

"You see, opinions like that give a man a reputation for wisdom."

"Yeah, thank you."

"I would have just said Havana," Shay heartily announced. "The girls there have lusty buttocks and bosoms and feel no shame in putting them on display! But that's no slight against our lasses from home."

A pang of jealousy washed over Tia and she instantly regret wanting to listen in on the conversation. She knew Shay wasn't innocent when it came to women, no. He was twenty two years old and times were different—she just didn't like to acknowledge it. Besides, who knew what kind of life he led outside the homestead? Certainly not a celibate one, that's for sure.

Unfortunately, her curiosity stopped her from turning away as he continued.

"I think Galway has the nicest ones, fair and modest, always willing to spot you a penny for an ale."

"You don't say."

"And then there's the maids I met in Lisbon." His voice lowered almost sensually as he reminisced over the memory. "Destined for the convent they were, dark-eyed and kindly dispositioned. If only I spoke Portuguese… Not that we spent much of our nights talking."

Her heart sunk in her chest.

"Opinions like that give a man an entirely different reputation." Liam stated. The two friends remained in companionable silence for a moment and Tia nearly closed the door having heard enough, but Liam spoke up again. "You sure you're not forgetting anywhere?"

"What do you mean?" Shay asked, mildly confused.

"You know what I mean."

"I…" Another pause. "I've only been there a handful of times when I was a young boy, Liam. I barely even remember what it looks like! Besides, she wasn't around then."

"That don't mean nothin', Shay," Liam countered. "She's around now, isn't she?"

"Aye, I suppose."

She retreated before she could hear anything else, closing the door with an almost inaudible click. She sniffed and leaned her forehead against the cold wood, thinking—or trying not to, at least. It was Shay so of course she was failing miserably. So, he was interested in someone, then. She briefly wondered who they were and what they looked like; how they managed to meet him and if his feelings were reciprocated. It was probably someone he met on one of his expeditions, beautiful and uninvolved with the work side of his life. A breath of fresh air.

She almost scoffed. What else did she expect from a handsome young man like him? Of course he would steal the attention of girls at every port he graced, likely stringing broken hearts all over the place by now. What made her so special? Oh, he let her take his bed that one time so she wouldn't have to sleep on the floor, or, oh, he gave her the loveliest hug ever just yesterday—what a load of crap. It was most likely a ruse her mind had concocted in order to cope with her current life situation, setting her up for hurt right from the very beginning. Shay was, and always will be, just a friend to her. She had to come to terms with that or she'll only make it worse for herself.

Better she found out now than later, she guessed.

It was midday when the door swung open and Liam stepped in, his eyes landing on her lounging form almost immediately. "We've arrived in St. John's. There's a tavern not too far from here if you're interested in a fresh meal. We'll be here a while."

Tia looked up from her fidgeting hands. "Oh. Yeah, thanks."

He left with a nod and she quickly slipped on some shoes and a jacket before heading outside. Half the crew had already disappeared into the settlement while others lingered around the ship, chatting and relaxing with each other. She greeted them quietly as she shuffled her way across the docks, wondering where on earth Liam had gone off to. Her question was soon answered when she spotted him assisting a couple of men on board, carrying some sort of heavy weapon with them. A new cannon, perhaps?

 _On my own it is, then._

Thankfully, there was no sign of Shay anywhere as she navigated away from the docks. She didn't think she could face him just yet. The tavern Liam had mentioned earlier sat nestled into the walls of the mountain, looking vaguely like something out of a children's story book, but it was warm and cozy on the inside and that's all that mattered. Local patrons and cheery music greeted her as she shuffled up to the bartender and asked what was on the menu for today, and soon she was settled down with a bowl of steaming vegetable broth, bright eyes observing the band as they transitioned into the next song.

She paid her compliments to the cook as soon as she was finished and left, deciding that she should probably find out what was going on before she did anything else. She knew that being here for " _a while"_ in Liam's words could range anywhere between an hour to a few days, so she needed to make sure. What she didn't expect was to be greeted by the sight of a familiar French captain standing alongside Liam and Shay at the helm, looking as dignified as ever with his chin held high and his hands interlocked behind his back. She boarded and made her way up to them.

"Hello, Chevalier! Long time no see," she beamed, tapping the man on the shoulder as she rocked on her heels.

"Ah, Tia! Indeed, it has been a long time," he agreed, briefly looking her over. "Time has been kind to you, I see."

"I suppose it has," she said, rubbing at her arm. That was all thanks to the book, of course, but she kept that information to herself. "How're things on your end?"

"Business has been rather slow as of late, so they could be better." He replied honestly, folding his arms across his chest. A small quirk had formed at the corner of his mouth as he spoke and she found herself taking note of the wrinkles on his face. "I trust you've been well?" He asked, snapping her out of it.

"I have, thank you… So, what brings you here?"

" _Le Gerfaut_ is in the midst of repair so, in the meantime, I shall accompany Shay on this voyage. I'd ask you the same question but he was kind enough to inform me of your plans beforehand. I hear you are returning to New York soon?"

"Sure am," she confirmed, sparing a quick glance over his shoulder at the man. He was busy going over something with Liam. She quickly diverted her attention back to Chevalier. "I have business there to attend to," she told him.

"Ah, yes," he nodded slowly. "Last I heard, you'd been doing courier work for Achilles?"

She sighed. She almost forgot that Chevalier wasn't in the loop with what happened there. Correspondence over long distances was normally pretty tight within the brotherhood, she'd learned, so she assumed he must've known already. Regardless, he was quite content to listen in as she pulled him aside to cover the events he'd missed, peering out to the water in thought as she went.

Little did she know that a pair of eyes watched over her the entire time.

* * *

 **A/N: Urgh, I was happy with this chapter and now I'm not for some reason, but here ya go! I would've had it up earlier but I was occupied with playing Detroit: Become Human (which is awesome as btw y'all should play it) and now have a thing for Connor RK800… *sighs* I might write some things for him. Maybe...**

 **Can I just say, the amount of people I've had telling me to hurry Up AnD Make ShAY & TiA KiSS aLReadY is so fuckin' funny, but I swear it's coming, guys. Soon. Like, real soon. ;) Also, this is the first time I've used actual in-game dialogue in the story. It felt weird putting it in cause I normally like to do my own thing but the convo Liam and Shay had about girls was way too entertaining, I just had to include it, okay? XD**

 **Thank you so much for the reviews/faves/follows & until next time, imakemyownblog out xx**


	27. I'm Still Here!

**Hey guys!**

 **Just wanted to let y'all know that,** ** _yes_** **, I'm still alive and,** ** _yes_** **, I'm still planning on updating the story. Anytime within the next couple of weeks? I've so many ideas on what I want to do - trust me, I think about it all the fuckin' time - but it's just the matter of actually writing it out that gets me. Ugh, I hate writer's block.**

 **I've got some sweet things ahead for those of you who are still managing to keep up with my shitty updating schedule, if you can even call it that, so bear with me! I'm not done with this story at all! XD**

 **But, man, these new games and K-pop comebacks and Netflix shows got me busy as frick...**

 **imakemyownblog out xxx (but not for long ;))**


	28. Chapter 27

**Only Time Will Tell - Chapter Twenty Seven**

 **A/N: This chapter's pretty short and it's got a lotta dialogue, but** _ **please**_ **\- do enjoy ;)**

 _July 23rd, 1754_

Tia should've known it was too good to be true. Almost two months of being stuck on The Morrigan and she _still_ wasn't allowed to leave, even after being docked for the past hour and a half at a small port in Sleepy Hollow. She didn't care that it was late or that it was about to piss down raining, she just wanted to step onto solid land for awhile.

As always, the trusty soil was so close, yet so far.

To her complete and utter surprise, it was Shay who forbid her from leaving. It was usually his first mate, but, for whatever reason, he decided to take matters into his own hands today. If it weren't for the massive crush she had on the young captain, then she'd have been off exploring the place and stretching her legs by now, rather than sitting here on her ass and staring at the wall.

" _We won't be long, lass,"_ Shay had told her with a light squeeze to her shoulder before slipping away. Liam had already left beforehand.

She knew they were here on Assassin business— _it wasn't easy to forget such a profession_ —so she held her tongue to make it easier for everyone. They were just lucky she happened to be in a good mood today, else she would've raised hell about being imprisoned on the ship for any longer. Besides, Shay was extra nice to her this morning and returned her phone to her. He never did figure out how to unlock the device, though. A simple swipe of her finger would've done the trick, but she kept that information to herself, of course. His futile attempts were cute, though.

She had to give it to him - his method of curing her addiction had actually worked somewhat. Apart from checking the messages left behind by Mark, she felt no need to hang around with the device as she would've some weeks ago. Though, that could also be because she was bored of that dumb stacking game. Who knows?

It felt like forever before Shay decided to grace her with his presence once again, with water dripping from his form as he sauntered through the entrance. A large puddle began to grow by the door as he reached for a towel. Tia quickly crossed the room to close the door behind him.

"Wow, you were a lot quicker than I thought you'd be!"

"Aye, but we're not staying here tonight." Shay nodded, draping the towel over his hair and rubbing it vigorously to dry it off. "We're off to Two Bends so I can meet up with the others."

Her shoulders fell in disappointment - yet another delay to the search for her parents.

Not missing the action, Shay frowned and halted in his quest to dry the mop atop his head. "What's the matter?"

"I guess I was expecting to get to New York a lot quicker, that's all... I suppose it's my own fault for making you take me instead of finding my own way like I should've."

"I'd get you there faster, but I don't want to risk getting on anyone's bad side for being tardy all the time—which we all know I have a record for. Now," he hung the damp towel around his neck, "I have a little surprise for you, but I'd like to get out of these clothes first, if ya don't mind?"

She tilted her head in confusion. "A surprise? For what?"

"You'll see," he said, the beginnings of a smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Now, are you gonna turn around or are you gonna come over here and help me?"

"Yeah, right!" She spun around and let out a disgusted scoff for extra measure, despite the fact that her face was heating up at the very thought of it.

The next few moments went by with Shay getting changed into dry clothes and Tia struggling to imagine anything else _but_ that. No matter how hard she tried, the image of those lovely, broad shoulders and those wonderfully sculpted muscles were too hard to resist and she found herself blushing even harder. She dropped her head in shame. _I need Jesus…_

She nearly jumped when he delivered a gentle pat to her shoulder, signalling that it was fine for her to look again. She must've zoned out at some point.

A simple white shirt now adorned his upper frame, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and emphasizing the feature she'd just daydreamed about only seconds ago. Dark gray breeches contrasted the top half and his feet remained bare over the wooden flooring - if only for the sake of dirtying less clothes, she wasn't sure - but she liked it. It was simple and laid back. It suited him.

He began to busy himself with clearing off his desk. "Now, I don't normally do things like this, so forgive me if this seems a tad last minute, but…" He paused, noticing she was still stood by the door. "Are you alright?" He asked, concerned.

"Huh?" She uttered, raising her brows. "Y-yeah, I'm good! Just… got lost in here," she offered, tapping the side of her head with a sheepish laugh. She walked over and watched him pull out a small, wooden box from one of the drawers before placing it on the table. "So, what's all this for?"

"Give me a moment and I'll show you," he told her, grinning all the while. He gestured to the seat across from him. "Take a seat, I won't be too long."

He was out the door before she could say anything else, so she quietly took a seat and observed the box with curiosity. What was he up to? What was in that box? And why did he seem _excited_? It was an odd sight to see, now that she thought about it. Not to say that he doesn't get excited about things, it was just unusual to actually witness it firsthand.

True to his word, he returned not a minute later, this time with bowls of food and two tankards balanced between his arms. He rounded the desk once more and distributed the items onto the table before getting comfortable in his chair. She peered inside the big cup and saw nothing but some sort of creamy froth.

"What the hell is this?"

He chuckled, already sensing her reluctance to try the new beverage. "We call it flip. It's alcohol, but it's a little on the sweeter side so I reckon you'd appreciate it since I know you've a sweet tooth. Give it a taste!"

"Are you sure?" She hesitantly lifted the tankard up to her nose to take a small whiff. _It doesn't smell too bad, actually..._

"Yes, but first—" he lifted his own drink into the air, "To another year of you - happy birthday, Tia!"

She blinked. "Oh, wooow. That shit's today?"

"Aye."

"It's the twenty-third of July?"

"I should hope so or I'll be sorely embarrassed."

A bright smile made its way onto her face and she giggled into her hand. "Wow, that's… I can't believe you remembered!" She beamed, somewhat shy now that she knew why he went to all this trouble.

"Of course I did. You're one of my closest friends," his grin softened and she nearly melted. "I probably don't tell you that enough."

"Try: at all." She snorted when he let out an exasperated sigh. "I know, I know, I'm just teasing! Really, though. I appreciate it."

They clinked their mugs together and drank—Tia took more of an experimental sip than anything. She swallowed slowly, taking the time to process all the flavours on her sensitive taste buds. It was quite a distinct taste at first—for a non-drinker like herself, of course—but then it slowly burned out into a subtle sweetness that lingered in her mouth.

She clicked her tongue, realizing that Shay was waiting for an opinion. "Okay, but why's it hot?"

"It's what makes the froth," he answered, taking another gulp of his own. "It's not bad, eh?"

She took another slow sip. "Tis satisfactory, yes."

"You like it, don't cha?"

"Tis satisfact—"

"Yeah, yeah," he chuckled, waving a hand in her direction. "Did you really forget it was your birthday today?"

"It's honestly one of the last things on my mind right now," she pointed out with a nonchalant shrug, finally placing her drink down so she could move onto her food. Boiled vegetables and bread.

 _Could be worse,_ she thought, taking a bite. _At least it's seasoned…_

"I know the feeling all too well." He confessed, leaning his elbows onto the desk, his chin coming to rest on a closed fist. "To be completely honest with you, I can't remember a time where I celebrated my _own_ birthday. Not since I was a young boy, at least."

"Oh yeah, I've been meaning to ask. Did you grow up here? In the colonies?"

He nodded, "I was born in New York; lived there for most of my life."

"With your parents?"

"My aunt," he corrected. "My ma died giving birth to me and my da was captain of his own merchant ship, so he wasn't around much."

Tia felt her heart clench at his words. Shay grew up barely knowing his parents and here she was complaining that she missed her own. They were completely different circumstances, yes, but it didn't make it any less painful. She wondered what it would've been like for him - when he was sick or upset or needing guidance. Did his aunt comfort him the way a mother would? Teach him the way a father would? _Love_ him the way a parent would?

"O-oh… I'm sorry." She apologized, placing her fork down, no longer feeling the need to eat. She wasn't that hungry to begin with.

"Don't be. I came to terms with it a long time ago." He told her, taking another slow swig.

"My parents would love you," she blurted out without thinking. She coughed awkwardly into her fist, avoiding his gaze. "If they were here, I mean. They'd like you. You're nice."

"Thank you?" He said with a confused tilt of his head, but still smiling nonetheless. "I hope you're not sayin' that just to please me, lass. I remember how much you hated me in the beginning."

"What? I never hated you," she made a face and continued. " _Disliked_ , sure, but not hate."

A short silence fell between them as Shay finished off the rest of his drink, tipping his head back to make sure he got every last drop. The empty tankard remained cupped within his grasp, however, his fingers gently tapping at its side every so often.

"Well, for the record, I didn't like you much either." He continued after a while.

"Hey!"

"I kid, I kid," he grinned. "But you did have a feisty attitude—"

"So did you!" She laughed, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You wouldn't leave me alone half the time!"

"Can you blame me?"

She scoffed, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're a young and impressionable woman," he offered without missing a beat.

She paused. Was that his way of saying he was trying to _flirt_ with her? Her heart began to race within the confines of her chest and she ducked her head down momentarily to collect her thoughts—though, she played it off as checking her skirts for food she never dropped.

"Some impression..." she conceded, lifting her head once more. "Do you know how badly I wanted to whack you with that mop?"

"But you like me now, don't cha?" He coaxed, leaning further forward in his chair in an attempt to entice her. "After all, you said I'm nice."

She gave him a look. "Yes, Shay, I like you now." _A little too much._ "Even if you are still annoying," she jested.

He clicked his tongue, "What can I say? It comes naturally with you. Would I be able to interest you in some more flip?" He asked, standing up once more.

She blinked, just now realizing that she'd managed to empty her own tankard in the good part of an hour. She wondered what the alcohol content of these drinks were. She didn't feel too bad so she figured it mustn't be too strong. Right?

"Yeah, I can go for another one." She complied, passing her tankard to him as he went by.

"Attagirl," he smiled, plucking it out of her hands with a smirk.

Thus, another round of drinking commenced between the two of them. Tia was less graceful about it than she'd hoped she would be, making it very clear she wasn't a frequent drinker by the time she'd surpassed the halfway mark on her tankard. Her words were beginning to slur, only slightly—or so she liked to think—and her body felt warm. She kind of liked it, though.

"Tell me, Tia," Shay began, watching her as she swirled the contents of her cup around, "Why are you so eager to leave?"

She froze.

"By all means, you're not obligated to stay, but," he caught her eye, "I know desperation when I see it."

"I… I think my parents might be here." There was no use in hiding it from him.

A thoughtful look crossed his face. "What makes you think that?"

"Mark did some research," she divulged, tapping her fingers on the desk as she thought. "There's been a lack of digital footprints on their part, so he's come to believe they disappeared around the same time as me, which means…"

"They could be here as well," Shay concluded, nodding slowly in understanding. "So, you're going to look for them, then?"

"Of course! I can't just sit here and wait around when they could be out there," she stressed, shifting positions on her chair. She felt restless—like she was wasting time. If there was a chance to see them again, she _had_ to take it.

"And you think they're in New York?"

"Well, I ended up in that fort, remember?" He hummed in response and she continued, "They could be anywhere in this world, but New York is as good a place to start as any!"

"I could help ya keep an eye out for 'em," he offered. "What're their names?"

"David and Maria Ramirez. Mum sometimes goes by her maiden name, though. Montellano."

He nodded, tucking the names away into memory for later use. "What'll you do if you find them again?"

Truthfully, she hadn't thought of that yet. She was too busy trying to think for herself and what she'd do to survive once she reaches New York that she hadn't even spared a thought to the prospect that they might not even _want_ to stay here. They could already have a way back to the future, for all she knows. She could be the last piece to their puzzle before they can finally go back.

She spared a glance towards the young man in front of her. _But, I don't… I can't..._

"I guess I'll find out when the time comes…"

Sensing her discomfort, he nudged the box from before in her direction, stopping once it reached her hand. Her curiosity peaked once again and she eyed it carefully, taking in the smooth finish of the wood and the way it practically called out to her, begging her to open it. He beckoned her onwards with a nod, and she reached out to open it, pulling it in close so she could get a closer look. A simple silver necklace lay inside, glinting in the light as she lifted it out and rested it over her palm.

"It's not much, but I figured you could add to it, y'know?"

"It's really pretty," she whispered, running her fingers across the length of it. She flipped her hair to one side and fingered the clasp, bringing it around the back of her neck to put it on. Shay immediately walked around to assist her, making sure that it was on properly.

"How's that?" He asked, stepping back to take a look. He grinned, "You look beautiful."

She smiled shyly, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I love it, Shay."

* * *

 _September 9th, 1754 | Two Bends, River Valley_

"Ouch!" Tia snatched her hand back, inspecting the little red mark now marring the otherwise soft skin. She glared at the culprit. "You're not very nice are you, you little brat?"

The white goat stared at her, completely oblivious to the damage it had caused. It's interests remained solely within her hand: a juicy carrot for the taking. It stared at her like it was being starved, when in reality, she saw get it fed by a man that walked by just before she had.

"Oh, you still think I'm gonna give this to you?" Tia scoffed, clenching a fist over the orange vegetable, about to take a bite. "Well, you can get fu—"

"Tia," Shay's voice interjected, making her flinch. He came to stand beside her, "What are you doin'?"

"Oh, nothing," she smiled sweetly. "Just chatting to Lucas here. He's a lovely boy when his teeth aren't digging into my goddamn fingers!"

Shay examined the reddened skin before eyeing the little animal in front of him with mild interest. "This little fellow's been known to nip fingers, lass. He's a cheeky one, ain't he?"

"Yeah, he kinda reminds me of someone."

"S'that so?" Shay questioned, feigning innocence.

She laughed, finally deciding to give in and drop the carrot onto the floor for the animal. The goat immediately dove in and she sighed, moving to stand up. "So, what'd Achilles want? Did he give you your next mission or something?" She asked, patting down her dress.

"That's what I've come to talk to you about." His expression turned serious and he crossed his arms in front of him. "My next stop is in Portugal."

Tia's heart sank. "What?"

"I leave soon— _today_ , actually. They've already prepared a ship for me to cross the ocean with. Liam won't be accompanying me, however. He has…" His eyes trailed off to the side for a moment, "- _other_ business to attend to."

"Why so soon? I mean, we only just got here! Surely—"

Shay cut her off, "It's an urgent matter. I'm being entrusted with this mission, and I'll follow it through if that's what's best."

"Will it be dangerous?" His hesitance was enough of an answer. She grimaced, "Shay…"

He cracked a smile and placed what was supposed to be a hand of comfort on her shoulder. "I'll be back before you know it, lass."

"How long will you be gone?"

"A year, at the least."

 _I won't see his face for an entire year?_

She released a shaky sigh, knowing there was nothing she could do about it. This was his job, his livelihood. Who was she to stop him? Besides, she used to go months without seeing him before. What was the difference if he left now?

She remained stock still, even as he reached forward to hug her and wish her his last goodbyes. She was thinking—debating on what she wanted to do. She vaguely registered him talking into her ear about the plans he had for when he came back. He mentioned the brotherhood, the Morrigan, and, most importantly, _her_.

He eventually moved to pull away, but she held tight to the sides of his jacket, preventing him from doing so. She glanced up to find those captivating dark orbs of his staring right back at her in what she hoped to be anticipation. They briefly wandered to her lips, before trailing back up to her eyes again. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest, loud enough that she swore he would be able to hear it too. Her eyes flickered down to his own slightly parted lips. Was she really going to do this?

No way was she going to back out of this now. She's already come this far.

She inched herself closer to him, so close that she swore she could hear his breathing hitch in his throat when she ghosted her fingers up the length of his forearm. Reaching his elbow, she tightened her hold and gently tugged him downwards. Angling her head to the right, their noses lightly brushed one another before her lips finally met his.

They were warm and slightly chapped from the dry weather, just as she imagined they'd be. She held them there for a few seconds before slowly pulling back, a soft noise reaching her ears as the kiss broke. She didn't even realize her eyes had fallen shut until she opened them to gaze into his own.

Wait, did that mean he kissed her back?

The thought hadn't even properly entered her mind when he connected their lips for the second time. She responded slowly but surely, her arms coming to curl around his neck and her balance shifting up onto her toes. He groaned quietly into the kiss as her fingers tangled into the hairs at the back of his head, tugging gently.

Their lips began to move faster, and his warm hands slowly drifted around to the sides of her waist, eventually coming to a halt on her lower back. Just like that, he pulled her body flush against his own, deepening the kiss even further as her head angled back to keep their lips connected. Her hands came to rest upon his chest, and for a moment, she concentrated on the fact that his heart was beating just as strongly as her own.

Eventually, the need for air became too much for them to ignore and they parted, a soft gasp escaping Tia's mouth. Their chests rose and fell with each intake of air, their warm breaths intermingling with one another as they continued to gaze into each other's eyes.

The question fell from her lips before she could think, "Did that really just happen?"

Shay laughed breathily, rendering her in a state of surprise. "It did."

She blinked as her mind began to process his words. "You kissed me back?"

"I did," he chuckled in confirmation, lightly pressing his forehead to hers as he gave her a gentle squeeze. "Believe me, I've wanted to do that for a long time now."

Her smile was brighter than ever.

* * *

 **A/N: Bringing out new chapters every 2-3 months seems to be my thing now, eh? Fuck. XD Like I've said though, I'd rather bring out something I like rather than rush it out, so I hope you guys, uh, enjoyed this chapter - lotsa fluff aaaand they ;) finally ;) kiSsED :D It only took me 2 fkn years! Stay tuned for the aftermath, hehehe**

 **Also, fear not, I'm just barely touching the halfway point with this chapter soooo, yeah, I have plenty more in store for you! Let me know what you guys think? What do you think will happen now that they've established their feelings for each other? Any predictions as to what will happen with Shay's defection in the distant future? I love seeing your reviews, guys, thank you! ;)**

 **imakemyownblog, signing off xx**


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